ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Right-hander Randy Dobnak making the Twins roster out of Spring Training seems like an upset, certainly not something too many people saw coming when camp opened in February, and certainly not in early March when he was reassigned to the minor-league camp.
But given how well Dobnak pitched in Florida, the atypical nature of his contract, the quirks of 40-man roster rules in Major League Baseball, and the level uncertainty with the health of other pitchers in the Twins sphere, it actually makes perfect sense.
Dobnak will be at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Thursday for his first Opening Day since 2021 because he fits an unusual set of circumstances. The Twins want him to be ready as a long reliever, pitching multiple innings in case of a short outing by the starting pitcher, and to help keep fresh in the bullpen those who typically are used in higher-leverage situations.
A mainstay in the starting rotation at Triple-A St. Paul for the past few seasons, Dobnak is capable of getting more than three outs per appearance.
"It's exciting but also a little weird because I was among the first players they cut in March," Dobnak said Wednesday. "I was thinking that I'd go back to St. Paul, figure things out and just be ready if they need a guy. Sure enough, last day of camp, I made the team."
He's the last man in. Here's the full roster heading into Opening Day:
Catchers: Ryan Jeffers, Christian Vázquez
Infielders: Willi Castro, Carlos Correa, Ty France, Mickey Gasper, Edouard Julien, José Miranda
Outfielders: Harrison Bader, Byron Buxton, DaShawn Keirsey Jr., Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner
Starting pitchers: Pablo López, Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, Chris Paddack, Simeon Woods Richardson
Relief pitchers: Jorge Alcala, Danny Coulombe, Dobnak, Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Cole Sands, Justin Topa, Louis Varland
Positioning for the last few spots in the bullpen didn't work out ideally for the Twins at the end of Spring Training. Right-hander Brock Stewart soon will begin an injury rehab assignment with St. Paul for a strained hamstring.
The Twins expect a relatively short rehab, but he won't be ready for the majors until sometime next week at the soonest.
Michael Tonkin is well behind the others because of a strained right shoulder and, after walking too many batters in his Spring Training audition, Rule 5 right-hander Eiberson Castellano was returned to the Phillies organization. The Twins probably went into camp thinking one or both of them would pitch in the scenarios in which we are likely to see Dobnak.
Dobnak's salary is much (much) higher than the typical guy you'll find at Triple-A.
The Twins signed him to a lucrative contract extension in March of '21 after Dobnak got off to a hot start in his career. The extension made news at the time because Dobnak, who wasn't drafted and was given a $500 (yes, hundred) bonus for signing with the Twins out of a college in West Virginia that doesn't exist anymore, had been moonlighting as a ride-share driver to help pay the bills.
By the end of the 2025 season, Dobnak will have made $8.25 million playing ball, even though he's only pitched 135 1/3 innings in the majors since 2019 coming into Opening Day. A set of serious finger injuries and other setbacks have made it hard for him to replicate his hot start.
Dobnak posted a 4.25 ERA in 28 appearances for St. Paul in 2024, and he had a 5.59 ERA in 9 2/3 innings for the Twins at the big-league level, his first appearance in the majors since '21. He also fared well in the Grapefruit League this year, tossing six scoreless innings before being sent to minor-league camp earlier this month.
"I feel like my stuff is better now than it was earlier in my career," Dobnak said.
Randy Dobnak with two hitless innings in Spring Training action today💥
— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) March 23, 2025
2 IP / 0 H / 0 R / 1 BB / 3 K#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/RSTKrWEy7q
Dobnak's value to the Twins comes in his contract, which gives them a relatively pricey insurance policy.
Minnesota can send him back and forth to the minors, and take him on and off the 40-man roster, without fear that exposing him to waivers will lead to another team taking him. He's just too expensive, and hasn't shown yet that he'd be worth it to another organization.
But he's worth it to the Twins, because they can stash the likes of Scott Blewett, Anthony Misiewicz and others in the minors until they're needed more urgently and for longer stretches of time. It's funny how things work out.
Are the Twins starting with the ideal best 13 pitchers on the active roster?
No, but Dobnak will get the job they need done in the moment — even if his results aren't the best.
And if they are, all the better.