Minnesota Twins pitcher Ervin Santana will be out for up to 12 weeks following surgery on the middle finger of his throwing hand, the team announced on Tuesday.

The team said Santana experienced discomfort in his finger while ramping up his bullpens ahead of spring training.

"This is something he had dealt with in the past and was reviewed via MRI and X-ray at the end of the season," a team release said.

"It was determined at that time there was no injury to the tendon and an injection was the appropriate course of action.

"The injury is a result of repeated cumulative stress from pitching, not one acute event, and did not present again until this past week. Ervin was then reexamined by Dr. [Charles] Melone and it was determined that the best course of action was to address this with a surgical procedure. He will begin rehabilitation this week."

Santana was a big part of the Twins' turnaround from a 100-loss season in 2016 to a playoff berth in 2017. He went 16-8 with a 3.28 ERA in 211.1 innings. Minnesota expected him to be a cornerstone of their rotation this year, but he will now be out for at least a couple of months as he recovers from surgery.

The 35-year-old is signed for the next two years for $27.5million.