Walker Jenkins of the Minnesota Twins lines out during a spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Walker Jenkins has been limited to just 217 games because of injury since turning pro after the 2023 MLB Draft. Mark Taylor / Getty Images

Top Minnesota Twins prospect Walker Jenkins is sidelined again, this time after suffering a Grade 2 AC joint sprain in his left shoulder.

The Twins said Jenkins would be re-evaluated in 10 days to further determine a proper timeline for his recovery.

Jenkins, whom The Athletic’s Keith Law ranks as the Twins’ top prospect and the No. 11 prospect in baseball, was injured when he ran into the outfield fence after making a catch for Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday.



Jenkins’ shoulder injury means he’ll be sidelined for a second time this season. The center fielder only played in four games in big-league spring training before missing time with a hamstring injury. The outfielder is hitting .256/.396/.389 in 111 plate appearances for St. Paul.

The No. 5 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft was limited to 82 and 84 games in his first two full pro seasons because of injuries. He missed all but two games in the first month of the 2025 season after spraining his ankle in minor-league spring training. He was sidelined for six-and-a-half weeks in the 2024 season after suffering a hamstring injury on Opening Day.

On the major-league front, the Twins didn’t have a significant update on the health status for starter Joe Ryan on Monday, other than to say an update would occur Tuesday and that he’d flown on the team charter to Washington, D.C. Ryan underwent an MRI after exiting Sunday’s start with right elbow soreness.

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May 4, 2026

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