Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco has ankle surgery

Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco, who slumped at the plate in the final month of the season, had ankle surgery for the second offseason in a row.

The team said Monday that Polanco had a small bone chip and a mild bone spur on the outside of his right ankle removed in a procedure last week. He will begin physical therapy next week and be ready for spring training.

Polanco played 55 of the Twins' 60 games in 2020, but he hit his final home run on Sept. 4. He had three doubles in all of September and batted .176 after Labor Day, with only one RBI.

In a season-ending press briefing, Twins President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey said: "Jorge would never complain. He went out and played every day. But his ankle was definitely something he was playing through, that was pretty clear."

Following the 2019 season, Polanco underwent a debridement procedure on the same ankle to clean out spurs caused by repetitive stress.

The 27-year-old native of the Dominican Republic signed a five-year, $25.75 million contract before the 2019 season and became an All-Star, hitting .295 with 22 home runs, 79 RBI and 40 doubles. He hit .258 with four homers and 19 RBI in 2020, and made a crucial throwing error in the American League wild-card series that opened the door for Houston to score three unearned runs in the ninth inning of their Game 1 victory.

Polanco was suspended for 80 games in 2018 after testing positive for stanozolol, a performance-enhancing drug, and hit .288 in 77 games after his return.