Many were wondering why left-handed reliever Anthony Banda was still on the Minnesota Twins' roster after he began the season with a rough 8.27 ERA over his first 15 innings. Since his poor start to the year, Banda has shown why Minnesota held onto him, hurling 8 2/3 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts while allowing two hits and four walks. Banda's hot stretch, which began on May 10, lowered his season ERA to 5.40.
When the Twins acquired Banda from the Dodgers for international bonus pool space in February, it seemed that the Twins got a solid reliever for an affordable price. While Los Angeles had designated Banda for assignment before trading him, most felt the Dodgers got rid of the lefty simply because their roster is absolutely loaded with talent, not because Banda wasn't an effective reliever.
Banda posted a 3.08 ERA with 50 strikeouts and 18 walks in 49 1/3 innings with the Dodgers in 2024, and allowed just one run with 11 strikeouts across eight innings during the 2024 postseason, helping the Dodgers win their first World Series since 2020. Banda had another solid season with the Dodgers in 2025, pitching to a 3.18 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 65 innings.
However, despite his good results last season, Banda walked 34 batters and had a 4.52 FIP. The lefty struggled during the 2025 World Series as well, allowing six earned runs in three innings across four games.
Hopefully, Banda's recent stretch has shown the type of reliever he will be for the rest of the season. There are reasons to believe he will continue to succeed despite his rough start.
How Banda has turned season around after rough start with Twins
Twins Daily's Matt Braun pointed out that since May 10, Banda has swapped his high-leg kick he's used since his second MLB season for a slide-step. Additionally, Banda's fastball velocity has risen lately. During his last outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, Banda's four-seamer averaged 96 mph. Overall, the southpaw's fastball has averaged 94.3 mph this season. His other three pitches have also increased in velocity recently.
Over his last 10 games, Anthony Banda has a 0.96 ERA in 9 1/3 innings. He's struck out seven. Last night, he had some extra giddy up on his pitches. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/UQVnriUuYu
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) May 27, 2026
Because the Twins' bullpen has struggled for much of the season, Banda's resurgence has been a much-needed boost for Minnesota. Before Banda's recent scoreless streak, the Twins' bullpen ranked 29th in ERA (5.60). Since Banda's hot streak began (May 10), Minnesota's relievers have ranked 15th in ERA (3.15), a number that is heavily skewed by Wednesday's loss to the Chicago White Sox, when the Twins' bullpen allowed nine earned runs. Banda has been a huge reason the Twins' bullpen has improved recently.
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