Poor Justin Topa. After being designated for assignment by the Minnesota Twins in late May, the right-hander has pitched for three organizations. Following minor-league stints with the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals, Topa signed a minor-league deal with the New York Yankees on Aug. 14. New York selected Topa's contract last Tuesday, only to designate him for assignment to make room for left-hander Max Fried on Saturday.
Topa, 35, allowed one unearned run on four hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch with three strikeouts in three innings across two appearances with the Yankees. During his time in the minors after being cut loose by the Twins, Topa has recorded a 1.75 ERA with a 1.40 WHIP and 15 strikeouts over 25 2/3 innings between three Triple-A teams.
It'll be interesting to see if another team takes a flyer on Topa. If the right-hander clears waivers, it seems he'd be able to land another minor-league contract with a team looking for bullpen depth to finish the season. For a team that knows it will make the postseason, acquiring Topa to give the pitching staff rest ahead of the playoffs could be a wise move.
Topa, whom the Twins acquired in the Jorge Polanco trade, entered the season as one of Minnesota's high-leverage bullpen arms but is now struggling to find a job. He had a horrendous start to the year, recording an 8.05 ERA with a 2.00 WHIP over 19 innings with Minnesota before being DFA'd.
Former Twins RHP Justin Topa has had a sudden drop-off in performance this year
Given how Topa performed last year, it's surprising he's struggled as much as he has in 2026. Topa posted a decent 3.90 ERA with a 1.43 WHIP and 49 strikeouts over 60 innings with the Twins in 2025.
One likely reason for Topa's drop-off in performance is that his velocity has decreased over the past several years. In 2023, the best season of his career, Topa posted a 2.61 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP and 61 strikeouts over 69 innings for the Seattle Mariners. His fastball averaged 95 mph in 2023. After missing nearly the entire 2024 season due to left patellar tendinitis, Topa's fastball velocity dropped to 94.2 mph in 2025. This year, Topa's heater has averaged just 93.4 mph.
Hopefully, Topa can get his career back on track. Unfortunately, at 35 years old, the right-hander may just be nearing the end of his baseball days.
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