Jeff Hoffman has undergone right arthroscopic elbow surgery, and the Twins expect him ready for the start of 2027. Toronto is still paying part of his salary.

Dr. Jeffrey Dugas performed the procedure, which included the removal of a bone chip and a debridement, according to Dan Hayes.

The Twins say Hoffman will begin a throwing program in eight weeks. That timeline keeps him on track for Opening Day.

The surgery comes after a forearm injury shut him down on Sept. 26.

It also adds context to a strong second half. After June 1, he posted a 1.21 ERA with 30 strikeouts over 22.1 innings, the run that made him a deadline target.

Toronto still has skin in the game. The Jays are covering $3.75 million of his 2027 salary, plus a $1.7 million installment on his signing bonus.

The Blue Jays are still paying for Jeff Hoffman's 2027 season

That money was part of how Toronto improved its return at the deadline. The headliner was Dasan Hill, then Minnesota's No. 7 prospect.

Does the surgery change how that trade looks? Not really, since the Jays get nothing from his 2027 either way.

If anything, the timing validates Ross Atkins. Toronto moved a reliever whose elbow needed work and turned him into a prospect while he was pitching his best.

It's like selling a car right before the check-engine light comes on. You're just glad you were already out of the driver's seat.

He'll always carry the Game 7 memory in Toronto. Miguel Rojas tied it with a ninth-inning homer off him in the 2025 World Series.

“Was just one pitch. I cost everybody here a World Series ring,” he said that night.

Derek Shelton's Twins are banking on the post-June version showing up in March.

If Hoffman bounces back, Minnesota gets a setup man at a discount. If not, Toronto's share of the bill will feel like an expensive goodbye.