Latest news with #Dobnak
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Old Friend Makes Minnesota Twins Final Opening Day Roster
Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images The Minnesota Twins enter the final game of their 2025 spring training Tuesday vs the Colorado Rockies with a 12-15-3 record in Grapefruit League play. Their rotation has been set for over a week and position players were put in place Monday. Advertisement Rocco Baldelli set the Twins' starting rotation over a week ago, the position players were determined shortly after, on Monday. That left one final spot up for grabs in the bullpen, mostly thanks to injuries that have disrupted the reliever plans, entering the season. Randy Dobnak earns Twins' final bullpen spot Brock Stewart and Michael Tonkin are starting the year on the injured list. That opened a temporary spot int he bullpen that will initially be filled by Randy Dobnak (long relief), who had previously been cut from Minnesota Twins camp. He pitched six innings this spring and did not allow a run, posting a 7/3 K/BB. Last season was Dobnak's first in the big leagues since 2021. That's when he suffered a season-ending injury to his middle finger that completely derailed his effectiveness as a pitcher. Last season, Dobnak threw 133 1/3 innings at Triple-A St. Paul, posting a 4.25 ERA and 1.448 WHIP. Advertisement Randy Dobnak pitched in five games for the MN Twins last season, tallying a 5.59 ERA across 9 2/3 innings. He'll be in a similar role this time around and look to parlay his spring success into continued momentum at the big league level. Dobnak is in the final year of a five-year, $9.25 million extension he signed with the club prior to the 2021 season. Minnesota Twins Opening Day roster is set With Dobnak taking the final bullpen spot, the Minnesota Twins Opening Day roster is now finalized. Rocco Baldelli has 26 players that will make the journey north. Minnesota starts the year with three games in St. Louis and three against the White Sox before kicking things off at Target Field. Catchers (2) Infield (6) Outfield (5) Starters (5) Relievers (8) Ryan Jeffers Ty France Byron Buxton Pablo Lopez Jhoan Duran Christian Vazquez Jose Miranda Matt Wallner Joe Ryan Griffin Jax Edouard Julien Trevor Larnach Bailey Ober Cole Sands Mickey Gasper Harrison Bader Simeon Woods Richardson Justin Topa Willi Castro DeShawn Keirsey Jr. Chris Paddack Danny Coulombe Jorge Alcala Louie Varland Randy Dobnak Baldelli is certainly hoping that Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee can get healthy sooner rather than later. Their absence gives players like Edouard Julien and Mickey Gasper an opportunity to shine however. Tonkin and Stewart being out paved the way for Varland and Dobnak to start the year at the big league level. Advertisement There isn't a ton of ambiguity on the big league roster. Many of the starting roles have consistent options. The MN Twins bullpen, even down a key arm, is projected to be one of the best in baseball. The position player group has plenty of solid talent that is capable of producing a 90-win season. Related: Brooks Lee Explains Latest Back Injury and Return Timeline On the mound Minnesota has a strong top three, and a pair of back-end starters with safe floors. The Minnesota Twins experienced some late injuries during Spring Training, but the roster is in a relatively good spot to open the season. Baldelli will be hoping his team is ready to hit the ground running and put their late-season collapse from 2024 behind them. Minnesota is currently projected to win the AL Central division. All of that goes out the window once the games start to count though. It's time to get it done on the field. Advertisement More must-reads:
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Minnesota Twins DFA Everyone's Bearded Pitcher
Tim Vizer-Imagn Images Tim Vizer-Imagn Images Rocco Baldelli's Minnesota Twins kicked off their 2025 regular season in St. Louis with a three-game series against the Cardinals. Weather impacted a pair of them, but the results were all the same. Minnesota looked hapless and has lost three in a row. Advertisement After Bailey Ober struggled to open the season, just as he had done last year against the Kansas City Royals, it was on Randy Dobnak to save the say. Dobnak made the roster as the final member of the bullpen. He afforded Baldelli's relief corps the opportunity to rest before a series in Chicago starting on Monday. Unfortunately the Twins are ruthless and thanked him for it by sending him packing. Randy Dobnak saves Bailey Ober and Twins for nothing There has been an illness going around the Minnesota Twins clubhouse. Bailey Ober lined up as the third starter. Unfortunately he spent the off day in St. Louis sick. He wasn't close to himself but took the mound anyways. That's a rather curious decision for a team that needed a win after losing their first two games of the year. Ober lasted just 2 2/3 innings while allowing eight runs on eight hits. He walked three and gave up a pair of home runs. His velocity was also notably down. After averaging 91.7 mph on his fastball last season, he often struggled to hit 90 mph on Sunday. Advertisement Randy Dobnak came out of the bullpen and turned in 5 1/3 innings of relief. That was sandwiched around a 58 minute rain delay, a practice the Twins would push on virtually no other pitcher. He allowed just a single run on a pair of hits and struck out one. Then he lost his roster spot. It's a harsh reality for a player that the Minnesota Twins treat solely as an asset. Dobnak earned a $9.25 million contract extension prior to 2021 after pitching in the 2019 ALDS, and posting a 4.05 ERA across 10 starts in 2020. He then suffered a career-altering finger injury to his throwing hand and has been handled different since. The DFA (designated for assignment) exposes Dobnak to waivers. It's virtually guaranteed that no team will claim him and his $3 million salary (and $1 million buyout for 2026). This means he'll go back to Triple-A and join the St. Paul Saints this week in Columbus. Advertisement It's great that he earned his payday, but unfortunate that there is no real path to consistency with the organization moving forward. Dobnak made his return to the big leagues in 2024 while owning a 4.25 ERA across 133 1/3 innings at Triple-A. New arm incoming for Minnesota Twins bullpen With Dobnak vacating a spot in the Minnesota Twins bullpen, Rocco Baldelli will have a fresh arm in Chicago on Monday. Scott Blewett was a potential candidate for the group out of Spring Training, but it was Dobnak included solely for this situation. Blewett has no minor league options remaining. If his contract is added to the 40-man roster, and he is optioned for Brock Stewart in a week or so, he is likely to be claimed off waivers. Advertisement Related: Reported Twins Buyer Hasn't Backed Out Yet The only healthy reliever on the Twins 40-man roster down on the farm is lefty Kody Funderburk. With Dobnak being DFA'd, they could add a different contract besides Blewett. Veterans Alex Speas and Anthony Misiewicz were among the final roster cuts this spring.
Washington Post
30-03-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Twins include Randy Dobnak in long relief role for his 1st opening day roster spot in 4 years
The Minnesota Twins set their opening day roster on Thursday with right-hander Randy Dobnak in a long relief role, the first time in four years he broke camp with the major league club. The Twins added Dobnak to the 40-man roster after returning Rule 5 draft pick Eiberson Castellano to Philadelphia, prior to their opener in St. Louis. Injuries to relievers Brock Stewart (hamstring) and Michael Tonkin (shoulder) landed them on the 15-day injured list to start the season and opened a bullpen spot for Dobnak, who developed a cult following with his improbable path to the major leagues and bespectacled-and-bearded look.
Fox Sports
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Twins include Randy Dobnak in long relief role for his 1st opening day roster spot in 4 years
Associated Press The Minnesota Twins set their opening day roster on Thursday with right-hander Randy Dobnak in a long relief role, the first time in four years he broke camp with the major league club. The Twins added Dobnak to the 40-man roster after returning Rule 5 draft pick Eiberson Castellano to Philadelphia, prior to their opener in St. Louis. Injuries to relievers Brock Stewart (hamstring) and Michael Tonkin (shoulder) landed them on the 15-day injured list to start the season and opened a bullpen spot for Dobnak, who developed a cult following with his improbable path to the major leagues and bespectacled-and-bearded look. Third baseman Royce Lewis (hamstring) and second baseman Brooks Lee (back) were also placed on the 10-day injured list, injuries that opened spots for infielder Mickey Gasper and outfielder Dashawn Keirsey Jr. for their first opening day roster spots. Gasper was acquired in an offseason trade with Boston after making his major league debut with them last August. The 30-year-old Dobnak is making $3 million this season in the last guaranteed year on a contract he signed a few days before the 2021 opener. After going undrafted out of an NCAA Division II program, Alderson Broaddus University in West Virginia, Dobnak was pitching in obscurity in an independent league in Michigan when a Twins scout discovered him. To make ends meet along his way up the ladder, Dobnak was a ride-share driver for Uber during his spare time. He debuted for the Twins in 2019 and wound up starting a game in the AL Division Series in New York later that year, but a rare ligament injury in the middle finger of his throwing hand derailed his career in 2021. He spent 2023 and 2024 in Triple-A before returning to the Twins last summer for his first major league appearance in nearly three years. Minnesota's initial bullpen also includes Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Cole Sands, Jorge Alcala, Danny Coulombe, Louie Varland and Justin Topa, behind Pablo Lopez, Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, Chris Paddack and Simeon Woods Richardson in the rotation. Gasper and Keirsey joined backup catcher Christian Vazquez and infielder Edouard Julien on the bench. The Twins had Matt Wallner in right field, Carlos Correa at shortstop, Byron Buxton in center field, Trevor Larnach as the designated hitter, Ryan Jeffers at catcher, Ty France at first base, Willi Castro at second base, Jose Miranda at third base and Harrison Bader in left field for the opener on Thursday with López pitching against the Cardinals. ___ AP MLB: recommended
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Twins include Randy Dobnak in long relief role for his 1st opening day roster spot in 4 years
The Minnesota Twins set their opening day roster on Thursday with right-hander Randy Dobnak in a long relief role, the first time in four years he broke camp with the major league club. The Twins added Dobnak to the 40-man roster after returning Rule 5 draft pick Eiberson Castellano to Philadelphia, prior to their opener in St. Louis. Injuries to relievers Brock Stewart (hamstring) and Michael Tonkin (shoulder) landed them on the 15-day injured list to start the season and opened a bullpen spot for Dobnak, who developed a cult following with his improbable path to the major leagues and bespectacled-and-bearded look. Third baseman Royce Lewis (hamstring) and second baseman Brooks Lee (back) were also placed on the 10-day injured list, injuries that opened spots for infielder Mickey Gasper and outfielder Dashawn Keirsey Jr. for their first opening day roster spots. Gasper was acquired in an offseason trade with Boston after making his major league debut with them last August. Advertisement The 30-year-old Dobnak is making $3 million this season in the last guaranteed year on a contract he signed a few days before the 2021 opener. After going undrafted out of an NCAA Division II program, Alderson Broaddus University in West Virginia, Dobnak was pitching in obscurity in an independent league in Michigan when a Twins scout discovered him. To make ends meet along his way up the ladder, Dobnak was a ride-share driver for Uber during his spare time. He debuted for the Twins in 2019 and wound up starting a game in the AL Division Series in New York later that year, but a rare ligament injury in the middle finger of his throwing hand derailed his career in 2021. He spent 2023 and 2024 in Triple-A before returning to the Twins last summer for his first major league appearance in nearly three years. Minnesota's initial bullpen also includes Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Cole Sands, Jorge Alcala, Danny Coulombe, Louie Varland and Justin Topa, behind Pablo López, Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, Chris Paddack and Simeon Woods Richardson in the rotation. Gasper and Keirsey joined backup catcher Christian Vázquez and infielder Edouard Julien on the bench. The Twins had Matt Wallner in right field, Carlos Correa at shortstop, Byron Buxton in center field, Trevor Larnach as the designated hitter, Ryan Jeffers at catcher, Ty France at first base, Willi Castro at second base, Jose Miranda at third base and Harrison Bader in left field for the opener on Thursday with López pitching against the Cardinals. ___ AP MLB:
