Former Minnesota Twins right-hander Randy Dobnak is back in the major leagues and thriving. Dobnak, who started Game 2 of the 2019 ALDS for the Twins against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, has recorded a 1.92 ERA in 51 2/3 innings across 10 outings (eight starts) since being recalled by the Kansas City Royals on July 1.
Two of Dobnak's starts with his new club came against the Twins. On July 29, Dobnak threw seven scoreless innings against Minnesota at Target Field. In his following start (Aug. 4), Dobnak allowed just one run in five innings vs. the Twins at Kauffman Stadium.
Dobnak's underlying metrics suggest he'll regress. The former Twin has an expected ERA of 4.55 and an expected batting average of .287. He also has below-average strikeout (15.4%) and walk (9.5%) rates. He's been successful by limiting barrels (3.6% barrel rate) and inducing a lot of ground balls (54.2% ground-ball rate).
Randy Dobnak has had rollercoaster career since signing extension with Twins after 2019 season
After Dobnak's solid showing in 2019 (1.59 ERA, 28 1/3 IP), the Twins signed the right-hander to a five-year, $9.25 million contract extension. It's safe to say the deal didn't work out for Minnesota.
Dobnak posted a 4.05 ERA in 46 2/3 innings across 10 starts in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. Then, the right-hander recorded an ugly 7.64 ERA over 50 2/3 innings in 2021. He missed much of the 2021 season due to an injury.
Dobnak didn't return to the majors until 2024. He threw just 9 2/3 innings across five outings in 2024 and just one MLB appearance in 2025.
Minnesota traded Dobnak and right-hander Chris Paddack to the Detroit Tigers for catching prospect Enrique Jimenez as part of the 2025 trade deadline fire sale. Dobnak never pitched in the majors for Detroit and became a free agent this past winter.
Dobnak signed a minor-league deal with the Seattle Mariners after becoming a free agent in the offseason. Seattle traded Dobnak to Kansas City for cash on June 17. He never played in the big leagues with the Mariners.
The Royals have a poor 62-75 record but have gone 27-23 since recalling Dobnak and have won 12 of their last 13 games. The Royals are very likely not making the postseason, but they're now 6 1/2 games back of the final AL Wild Card spot after being completely buried in the standings for most of the season. If Kansas City somehow reaches the playoffs, Dobnak would likely make his second career playoff start.
Add us as a preferred source on Google