KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Twins acquired Anthony DeSclafani in a January trade with Seattle, though he never pitched for the Mariners. Now it appears unlikely the veteran righthander will ever pitch for the Twins either.

DeSclafani was examined by Dr. Keith Meister earlier in the week, and on Friday, the surgeon repaired the flexor tendon in his pitching arm.

"He'll be down for the season for sure. The rough timeline is around 13 months for that," said Derek Falvey, Twins president of baseball operations. "It's not Tommy John [ligament-replacement surgery], so it's a little different type of return, but it's an unfortunate outcome for Anthony."

For the Twins, too, since DeSclafani's three-year contract expires in October. It's a similar case to righthander Tyler Mahle last year — the Twins supported his rehab but did not re-sign him once he reached free agency. Mahle signed with the Texas Rangers in December.