FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Minnesota right-hander Pablo López will have season-ending Tommy John elbow surgery, expected once the Twins discovered their ace's torn ulnar collateral ligament.
The team said Friday that López's surgery will be performed next week in Texas by Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister. López turns 30 early next month.
It will be the second Tommy John surgery for López. He had the procedure as a minor leaguer with the Seattle organization and missed the 2014 season.
López ended a bullpen session early during the Twins' first full-squad workout Monday. First-year manager Derek Shelton said he was hopeful the move was precautionary, but a day later general manager Jeremy Zoll told reporters of the UCL tear.
López was the Twins' opening-day for the past three years and was planning to pitch for Venezuela in next month's World Baseball Classic.
López made his major league debut with the Miami Marlins in 2018 and spent five seasons with them, then was traded to the Twins.
He made the All-Star team in his first year with Minnesota and helped the franchise end a record 18-game postseason losing streak for North American professional sports, going 2-0 with an 0.71 ERA in two starts in the 2023 playoffs.
López is making $21.75 million this season and is signed through next year.
A shoulder injury limited him to 14 starts last season after he made 32 in each of three consecutive 10-win seasons, the first in his final season with the Marlins. López was 5-4 with a 2.74 ERA in 2025 and is 59-53 with a 3.81 ERA for his career.
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Minnesota Twins pitcher Pablo Lopez throws during a spring training baseball workout in Fort Myers, Fla., Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Melania Trump said “it's incredible” to see her white and black-trimmed inaugural ball gown on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.
It's the second inaugural gown she has turned over to the First Ladies Collection at the museum, following the donation of her 2017 gown.
On Friday, Melania Trump continued the long-standing tradition of first ladies donating their inaugural gowns when she handed over the strapless white and black-trimmed sheath and a black neckpiece adorned with a reproduction of a Harry Winston diamond brooch she wore on the night of Jan. 20, 2025. The ensemble was on display on a mannequin on stage.
She gave brief remarks about the gown, its meaning and her love of fashion design, and described it as more than a dress.
“This is more than 50 years of education, experience, and wisdom realized with each thread, each stitch, each sharp edge,” she said. “The meticulously formed black shape ‘Z’ on the front bodice summons decades of my early memories, life experiences, and influences. And, all of these stories are tucked deep within its crisp, strong seams — forever.”
The first lady, a former fashion model, said fashion design is another form of creative expression and that the black and white in the gown “sets a mood rich with emotion.”
“This dress speaks with a distinct point of view, a modern silhouette, bold and dignified, and ruthlessly chic,” she said.
After a short program, the mannequin was taken upstairs and added to the first ladies' exhibit, which features more than two dozen of their gowns. Melania Trump and Herve Pierre, her longtime stylist and the designer of both of her gowns, came to see the gown in its see-through case.
“It's incredible. It's a historic moment," she said when a reporter asked how it felt to see the gown on display. The museum was reopening to the public Friday afternoon.
First lady Melania Trump and designer Hervé Pierre pose for a picture with her 2025 inaugural ball gown at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
First lady Melania Trump speaks at an event to present her 2025 inaugural ball gown to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
First lady Melania Trump presents her 2025 inaugural ball gown to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
First lady Melania Trump's 2025 inaugural ball gown is presented to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
First lady Melania Trump presents her 2025 inaugural ball gown to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
