Pablo Lopez Injury: Likely headed to injured list

Lopez suffered a lat strain on the back of his pitching shoulder during Tuesday's 10-3 win over the Athletics and is likely to be placed on the injured list, the Phil Miller of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports. "It's not the greatest news to hear, to have to deal with, but if there's a silver lining it's that it wasn't that posterior cuff or that I didn't feel anything blowing up," Lopez said after the game.

Lopez was removed in the sixth inning after feeling soreness in his shoulder after throwing warmup pitches. He was still able to come away with his fifth win of the season, giving up two earned runs on fur hits and three walks while striking out four over five frames. Lopez is set to undergo further testing Wednesday before the Twins confirm the diagnosis of a lat strain, but at least his initial outlook doesn't seem to be too ominous. Triple-A St. Paul starters David Festa and Simeon Woods Richardson would appear to be the leading candidates to enter the big-league rotation the next time Lopez's turn comes up.