The Minnesota Twins have reinstated left-hander Kendry Rojas from the 15-day injured list and designated right-handed reliever Justin Lawrence for assignment as a corresponding move, according to the team's transaction log. Rojas, who has posted a 1.26 ERA over 14 1/3 innings with Minnesota this season, struggled in one rehab outing with Triple-A St. Paul, allowing five earned runs on five hits and one walk across 1 1/3 innings, but his fastball velocity was solid, sitting around 96 mph.
Rojas returning from the IL is a much-needed development for the Twins. The Twins had hoped Mick Abel could return to the rotation on Sunday, but he suffered a setback during a bullpen session late last week, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune's Bobby Nightengale. While Rojas isn't a traditional starter, he can throw multiple innings per outing. Four of his five outings with the Twins this year came as a reliever, and he logged at least two innings in each of his appearances. He's thrown as many as four innings in an outing this year.
The Twins have been operating without a true five-man rotation since Bailey Ober suffered a right flexor strain in his elbow late last month. The Twins' rotation consists of Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley, Connor Prielipp and Zebby Matthews, while the Twins have been going with bullpen games to fill the void left by Ober's injury. Mike Paredes has led those bullpen games and has done a decent job lately, allowing three runs in 7 2/3 innings over his last two outings.
Paredes is slated to start against the Diamondbacks on Sunday. Until Abel or Ober returns, Paredes has a good chance to keep his spot in the rotation. Meanwhile, Rojas can help eat several innings out of the bullpen on days Paredes pitches. Rojas could also make some starts while Paredes pitches several innings out of the bullpen.
Twins' DFA of Justin Lawrence was a long time coming
The Twins had hoped Lawrence's unique delivery and decent velocity would translate to an effective bullpen arm. Unfortunately, he was easily the Twins' worst reliever during his time with the team. After allowing five earned runs, four walks and two hits in Minnesota's 16-8 win against Arizona on Saturday, Lawrence's ERA with the Twins rose to 18.00. Over six innings with Minnesota, Lawrence, whom the Twins had acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash early in the month, allowed nine walks, 10 hits and four home runs.
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