Less than a month after acquiring Simeon Woods Richardson from the Minnesota Twins for cash, the Toronto Blue Jays have designated the right-hander for assignment, according to his MLB.com transaction log. Toronto has recalled left-hander Adam Macko as a corresponding move.
The Twins designated Woods Richardson for assignment in late May before sending him to the Blue Jays. After being a solid No. 5 starter for two seasons, Woods Richardson posted a poor 7.74 ERA and 6.13 FIP with a 11.5% strikeout rate, 11.0% walk rate and .325 opponent batting average in 47 2/3 innings across 12 appearances (10 starts) with Minnesota this season.
While it seemed clear it was time for the Twins to remove Woods Richardson from their rotation, many were puzzled Minnesota didn't give the 25-year-old a longer look in the bullpen. He made two relief appearances with the Twins this year, hurling three scoreless innings while allowing two hits and two walks with two strikeouts.
The Blue Jays used Woods Richardson as a long reliever. In his short stint with Toronto, Woods Richardson actually had good results, throwing 10 scoreless innings across three outings. However, he had a 4.20 FIP, seven walks and just five strikeouts over those three appearances.
Despite Woods Richardson's strong results with the Blue Jays, the club decided his peripherals were impossible to ignore. It seems likely another team in need of pitching depth will take a flier on the former Twin now that he will either be traded or go through waivers.
Could Twins bring back Simeon Woods Richardson after Blue Jays DFA'd him?
Funny enough, the Twins are in desperate need of pitching help, especially given Mick Abel's latest setback. It seems doubtful the Twins would be interested in bringing back Woods Richardson, considering they got rid of him despite their bullpen clearly needing help. But with the rotation operating with just four traditional starters and Mike Paredes as the bulk pitcher of bullpen games, it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to bring back Woods Richardson.
Woods Richardson was never a high-strikeout arm, but he still managed to record a decent 4.11 ERA with a 21.5% strikeout rate, 9.0% walk rate and .235 opponent batting average in 245 innings across 50 starts between the 2024 and 2025 seasons. There's clearly potential for Woods Richardson to be an effective bullpen arm, but he doesn't seem suited for a starter role at this point in his career.
Add us as a preferred source on Google