Abel will stay at Triple-A St. Paul after he was acquired from the Phillies, as the Twins want him to continue to work on tweaking his pitches, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Abel was one of Philadelphia's top prospects and was part of the return for closer Jhoan Duran. The Twins don't appear in a rush to bring him back to the majors, though the team has an opening for the fifth-starter role, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him in the majors again this season. The right-hander made six starts for the Phillies this year in his first taste of the majors and had a 5.04 ERA over 25 innings, but he's been dominant at the Triple-A level with a 2.31 ERA and 9.9 K/9 in 13 starts
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Twins' Mick Abel: Dealt to Twins for Duran
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Abel and Eduardo Tait were acquired by the Twins from the Phillies on Wednesday in exchange for Jhoan Duran, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Abel was one of Philadelphia's top prospects and is now a key piece of the biggest trade deadline deal of 2025 so far. The right-hander made six starts for the Phillies this year in his first taste of the majors and has a 5.04 ERA over 25 innings, but he's been dominant at the Triple-A level with a 2.31 ERA and 9.9 K/9 in 13 starts. Abel will have a clearer path the big-league rotation in Minnesota given the club's injury situation and since Chris Paddack has also already been traded.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Demoted to Triple-A
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The Phillies optioned Abel to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Abel surrendered five runs over 1.2 frames during the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Padres and posted a 6.63 ERA over 19 innings since entering Philadelphia's rotation in early June. The Phillies could fill their open rotation spot with a bullpen game next week.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Flummoxed by Friars
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Abel (2-2) took the loss in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Padres, coughing up five runs on two hits and five walks over 1.2 innings as the Phillies fell 6-4. He struck out three.
The rookie right-hander couldn't find the plate, tossing just 25 of 53 pitches for strikes before getting the hook and putting his bullpen behind the eight ball in the twin bill. Abel hadn't pitched since June 21 as a rain delay washed out his previous start, and the long layoff almost certainly contributed to his lack of sharpness. His ERA spiked from 3.47 to 5.04 as a result of this outing, and Abel will try to get back on track in his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week in San Francisco.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Start washed out by rain
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Abel didn't throw a pitch in Friday's 13-0 rout of Atlanta due to a two-hour, 19-minute rain delay.
Both scheduled starting pitchers had already warmed up before the umpiring crew signaled for the delay, but Philly elected not to send Abel to the mound when play finally began and went with a bullpen game instead, while Altanta stuck with Bryce Elder. It's not clear yet if Abel will have his turn skipped completely, or if the Phillies will use the hiccup to shuffle their rotation.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Allows four homers in first loss
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Abel (2-1) took the loss against the Mets on Saturday, allowing four runs on six hits and no walks with one strikeout over three innings.
Abel allowed a solo home run in the first inning and then served up back-to-back-to-back long balls to the top three hitters in the Mets' order in the third. It marked the worst of the rookie's five starts with the Phillies, and he's now totaled just nine strikeouts over his past four outings after fanning nine in his major-league debut on May 18. He'll carry a 3.47 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 18:4 K:BB across 23.1 innings into a road matchup with Atlanta next weekend.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Impresses once again Wednesday
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Abel didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Blue Jays after giving up one run on three hits and no walks in 5.1 innings. He struck out two.
Although Abel wasn't nearly as dominant as he was in his first start, when he fanned nine in six shutout innings, he was still highly effective Wednesday. The rookie right-hander generated just five whiffs, but he's now surrendered only one run while producing a promising 11:0 K:BB over the first 11.1 innings of his major-league career. With Aaron Nola (ankle) still yet to go on a minor-league rehab assignment, Abel's next turn in Philadelphia's rotation is tentatively slated for early next week against a Pirates club with a miserable .638 OPS over 31 games since the start of May.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Set for start Thursday in Toronto
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Abel will be called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start Thursday's game versus the Blue Jays in Toronto, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
In his MLB debut May 18 versus the Pirates, Abel dazzled with nine strikeouts over six shutout frames, but he was sent back to Lehigh Valley immediately afterward while the Phillies turned to veteran Taijuan Walker to replace the injured Aaron Nola (ankle). With Walker underwhelming in two starts, the Phillies have decided to move him to a bullpen role, opening a spot in the rotation for Abel. He won't necessarily be in store for a long-term stay in the big leagues, as Nola could begin a rehab assignment next week before returning from the injured list by the second week of June.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Optioned after stellar debut
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The Phillies optioned Abel to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
The idea all along was for Abel's major-league debut Sunday against the Pirates to be a spot start, and the Phillies have stuck to the plan even after the rookie struck out nine over six scoreless innings. Taijuan Walker will now enter the rotation this week as the replacement for Aaron Nola (ankle). Abel will go back into Lehigh Valley's rotation but is sure to garner additional looks in the majors this season.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Dazzles in debut
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Abel (1-0) yielded five hits over six shutout frames Sunday, striking out nine and earning a win over the Pirates.
Abel was promoted for his MLB debut Sunday and put on a clinic. He fired 62 of 84 pitches for strikes and threw 16 first-pitch strikes to the 22 batters he faced. Abel generated 18 whiffs, including eight with his curveball and seven with a fastball that averaged 97.3 mph. The 23-year-old posted a 6.46 ERA through 108.2 frames with Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2024, but he hit his stride this season with a 2.53 ERA across 46.1 innings before his promotion. It's unclear what the Phillies plan to do with Abel, but his next turn in the rotation would likely be on the road against the Athletics next weekend if he gets another start.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Officially promoted to start Sunday
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The Phillies recalled Abel from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday.
It was reported Friday that Abel would be called up to make a start against the Pirates on Sunday, and the transaction is now official. Abel has thrived in Triple-A this season with a 2.53 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 51:19 K:BB across 46.1 innings, but he may be in line for just a spot start with the big club. Though Aaron Nola (ankle) landed on the injured list Friday, Taijuan Walker is expected to re-enter the Phillies' rotation during the coming week.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Making MLB debut Sunday
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The Phillies will call up Abel from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start Sunday's game against the Pirates, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
The right-hander will be called up for a spot start Sunday with Aaron Nola (ankle) landing on the injured list. Abel likely won't stick around in the majors, however, since Taijuan Walker will fill Nola's spot in the rotation next week in Colorado. Abel is one of the organization's top prospects and has a 2.53 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 51:19 K:BB across 46.1 innings at Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Figuring out Triple-A
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Abel has a 1.96 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 47:17 K:BB in 41.1 innings over his last seven starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Abel's first start of the year was in line with his work at Triple-A in the past -- he gave up four runs on nine hits and two walks with four strikeouts in five innings March 30 -- but he has been dialed in since. The Phillies have a healthy and productive big-league rotation, but Abel looks like a post-hype option if they have need of a spot starter or injury fill-in before Andrew Painter is ready.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Added to 40-man roster
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The Phillies added Abel to the 40-man roster Tuesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Abel's prospect stock has trended down each year since he was selected No. 15 overall in 2020. Initially he was seen as a potential No. 1 pitching prospect type, but he has never posted a walk rate below 10 percent and his stuff has stagnated. Abel logged a 6.46 ERA, 1.81 WHIP and a 117:78 K:BB in 108.2 innings at Triple-A last season and is unlikely to be more than an up-and-down arm in 2025.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Joining big-league camp
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Abel will attend the Phillies' big-league camp this spring.
The 2020 first-round pick remains an interesting prospect, but he's been passed within his own organization by 2021 first-rounder Andrew Painter, who's moved into the conversation for top pitching prospect in the game. Painter appears to have a legitimate shot to break camp in the majors, but Abel isn't at that stage yet. That's not an insult to Abel, who's just 21 years old and has yet to reach Triple-A. He owns a 27.6 percent strikeout rate in 23 professional starts, but he'll need to trim his 10.6 percent walk rate to take the next step. If a 2023 major-league debut is in the cards, it will probably happen late in the year.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Dealing with shoulder tendinitis
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Abel is battling shoulder tendinitis and may not pitch again until the instructional league, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Abel hasn't pitched in over a month, and while he's reportedly feeling better, the Phillies have little reason to rush their 2020 first-rounder. He's had mixed results in his first professional season, striking out an impressive 34.9 percent of opposing batters in 14 starts for Low-A Clearwater but also issuing walks at a 14.3 percent clip, leading to a 4.43 ERA.