Minnesota Twins: Adam Wilk Claimed Off Waivers, Joining Team Thursday
The Minnesota Twins picked up pitcher Adam Wilk to try and solve the back of the rotation troubles. At this point, a diamond in the rough would be welcomed.
The Minnesota Twins made a move to bolster their pitching staff, claiming former New York Mets pitcher Adam Wilk off of waivers. He will join the Twins in Chicago on Thursday. The 29-year-old Wilk made his first big league appearance in two years this past weekend.
In his major league career, Wilk has pitched in ten games for three different clubs. He started four of those games. His career numbers in that small amount of exposure are unimpressive. In 30 career innings of work, Wilk has a record of 0-4 with a 7.20 ERA to go along with 21 strikeouts and eight walks.
The most he pitched in a season in the majors was in 2012. While pitching for the Detroit Tigers, Wilk went 0-3 with an 8.18 ERA in three starts. He only pitched eleven innings over the course of those starts.
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Wilk’s one big league appearance this season was a rough one. He pitched 3.2 innings and gave up six runs (five earned) on eight hits and striking out two against the Miami Marlins. The circumstances regarding his travel to make the start may have contributed to his tough outing.
Wilk was pitching for the Mets’ Triple A team, the Las Vegas 51s, prior to the call-up. The team had flown down to New Mexico for a road series against the Albuquerque Isotopes. Wilk found out after the flight he had been called up. He then flew from there to Los Angeles and caught a midnight flight to New York and started the game at one o’clock that afternoon.
Wilk could be useful for the Twins
While his numbers have been unimpressive, the sample size is too small to tell how his time in Minnesota will be. The Twins are in need of arms in the back of the rotation and Wilk can fit the bill.
The Twins’ top two starters have been brilliant, while Phil Hughes has been getting by effectively. After that, the rotation has been a mess. Kyle Gibson, Nick Tepesch and Adalberto Mejia have all struggled to pitch in the fourth and fifth rotation spots. If Wilk is able to finally get a shot, he may do what they have not been able to achieve: stick around.
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If Wilk is able to pitch effectively, this move will be one that could help take the rotation to the next level. On the other hand, if he doesn’t, it was an incredibly low risk move to find a diamond in the rough. He could be tabbed to start this coming Saturday. If he does, it will be intriguing to see if he can take a back end of the rotation spot for himself.