Former Minnesota Twins right-handed reliever Justin Topa is returning to the big leagues with the New York Yankees, according to the New York Post's Joel Sherman. He signed a minor-league deal with the team last month. The Yankees need to make room on the 40-man roster. New York will likely move Giancarlo Stanton to the 60-day injured list to make room for Topa, as there's a strong chance Stanton will miss the remainder of the season.
The Twins acquired Topa in the Jorge Polanco trade after the 2023 season. Topa, 35, didn't perform as well for Minnesota as the team would have liked. When the Twins traded for Topa, he was coming off a breakout season in his 30s, posting a 2.61 ERA over 69 innings with Seattle in 2023.
Topa appeared in just three games with the Twins in 2024 due to left patellar tendinitis. He had a decent 2025 season with Minnesota, recording a 3.90 ERA over 60 innings. The Twins put him in more high-leverage situations after trading relievers Jhoan Duran, Louis Varland, Griffin Jax, Brock Stewart and Danny Coulombe at the 2025 trade deadline.
New Yankees RHP Justin Topa had rough start to season with
The Twins didn't do much to bolster their bullpen in the offseason, making Topa one of the high-leverage arms entering the season. That didn't work out, as Topa posted an awful 8.05 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP over 19 innings to begin the year before being designated for assignment on May 19.
The Twins released Topa after he cleared waivers. He signed a minor-league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, only to be released roughly a month later. He then signed a minor-league contract with the Kansas City Royals, who also released Topa roughly a month after adding him to their organization.
The Yankees signed Topa on Aug. 14. He posted a 1.75 ERA with a 1.40 WHIP and 15 strikeouts over 25 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level before earning the call-up to the majors by New York.
While Topa didn't work out for the Twins, there's still hope that Minnesota can get solid production from the return in the Polanco trade. The Twins' biggest prize from the deal, Gabriel Gonzalez, is a very promising outfield/first base prospect who is currently with Triple-A St. Paul. He had a cup of coffee in the majors earlier this year, going 1-for-2 with a pair of walks in one game.
Gonzalez has mainly played outfield in the Twins organization. But with the abundance of talented outfielders in the organization, there's a strong chance the 22-year-old prospect will be a primary first baseman in the majors.
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