KANSAS CITY, Mo. >> An MRI confirmed Wednesday that Twins right-hander Pablo López has a mild strain of his right hamstring that will send the right-hander to the injured list.

López made it through 4 2/3 innings on Tuesday before pain in his right leg forced him off the mound. A day later, López walked around the visitors clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium with a cheery disposition and without a limp, his right leg covered in a sleeve for apparent warmth.

López, who has never missed a start with the Twins, was optimistic before the imaging that he would not miss his next turn in the rotation.

But he told reporters after Wednesday’s game that he’d be headed to the injured list.

The Twins, who didn’t announce a corresponding move, could look to right-hander Zebby Matthews at Triple-A.

Matthews tantalized in Spring Training and has made two strong starts for St. Paul, allowing a combined two runs, five hits and a walk while striking out 13 in 10 innings.

Twins mourn Cruz’s sister, who died in D.R.

Baldelli said the team feels for former Twins slugger Nelson Cruz, who lost his sister Nelsy Cruz in the Jet Set club disaster in the Dominican Republic early Tuesday morning.

“On behalf of the organization, I would like to send our heartfelt condolences to him and his family,” Baldelli said of Cruz, a popular player who hit 76 home runs for the Twins from 2019-2021.

At least 124 people have died, and hundreds more were injured when the roof collapsed at the iconic club in the Dominican Republic’s capital city of Santiago.

Among the dead was Nelsy Cruz, who was the governor of the Montecristi province in the northwest.

Also killed were former major leaguers Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco.

Dominican-born Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martínez told the Associated Press on Wednesday that he has family members who are unaccounted for that were inside the club at the time.

“We are all affected,” Martinez said. “I still have family members who are still in the rubbles and we don’t know what happened to them. But we just want to be strong, like we have always been. We’re a country that prays a lot and remains united all the time, so I just hope everybody has the same courage.”

Dozens of people paid their respects to Dotel, who pitched for 13 teams over 15 seasons until 2013 at a funeral home on Wednesday.

“He was a person whom everyone loved. It’s very hard, very hard, truly,” said Hall of Famer David Ortiz, who was at the memorial and recalled how he spoke with Dotel almost every day.

“He was very funny. Octavio was a guy who was a fighter.”

Mauer ready for bronze age

Twin Cities native Joe Mauer cut a statuesque profile playing catcher for the Twins on his way to induction in baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2024.

This weekend, his hometown team plans to immortalize Mauer with a statue outside of gate 34 at Target Plaza.

Mauer’s will be the ninth statue unveiled at Target Field and the first since 2017, when manager Tom Kelly had the honor.

Mauer is set to join Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett, Carl and Eloise Pohlad, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek and Kelly in statue form.

All of the Twins statues, which are slightly larger than life, were created by Minnesota-based artist Bill Mack.

Mack has promised to get the sideburns right.

In addition to Mauer, the Twins said in a press release that teammates Justin Morneau, Corey Koskie and Glen Perkins are scheduled to attend the ceremony.

Paul Molitor, a fellow Hall of Famer, Twin Cities’ son and Mauer’s final manager also is scheduled to be there. So will Oliva, Kelly and the artist himself, Mack.

The ceremony is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. Sunday.

Jenkins goes to injured list with bad ankle

The Twins’ Double-A team at Wichita placed top prospect Walker Jenkins on the seven-day injured list because of a left ankle sprain.

It’s the same ankle he sprained before spring training that sidelined him for much of February and March.

This report includes information from the Associated Press.