Tuesday night was a rough one for the Minnesota Twins, as the team came apart at the seams late to cough up a 10-6 loss to Seattle. Allowing eight runs over the last three innings was the death rattle, one caused by a usually reliable bullpen.
Jay Jackson and Jorge Alcala both got lit up over that final stretch run, with the ninth inning being particularly bad. Alcala was tagged for four runs, one of which wasn't really his fault as Austin Martin misplayed a ball out in left.
Still, it was a tough outing for Alcala. Twins fans were left baffled as to why Rocco Baldelli decided to have him throw so much, especially with how much trouble he got into, but that trip out was the last we'll see from Alcala at the majors for at least a little bit.
Twins option Jorge Alcaala to St. Paul, add Josh Staumont to bullpen
Alcala was sent down to Triple-A on Wednesday morning, less than 24 hours after he was roughed up by the Mariners. It felt like a move was going to be made in the bullpen regardless of what happened, and it was simply a matter of who would be making the trip down to St. Paul.
There was an argument for Jackson, but it's Alcala who drew the short straw.
Rather than adding Justin Topa to the roster, the Twins are calling up Josh Staumont as the corresponding move. It means we'll finally get to see the former Royals reliever make his official debut with the team.
Twins roster move: Josh Staumont called up. Jorge Alcala optioned to AAA.
— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) May 8, 2024
Staumont was one of a handful of relievers who started this season on the IL, joining Jhoan Duran, Caleb Thielbar, and Topa. He was the first true signing of the winter for Minnesota, as the team added him just after Christmas on a typical low-risk deal that could pay off.
He's a hard throwing reliever who seems to fit in with how the Twins like to structure their late innings approach, and he'll likely take the spot of Aclala in the setup innings.
It's nice that we'll get to see Staumont finally make his debut, but the real takeaway here is that Topa still seems ways away from getting back in action. Derek Falvey noted as much last week, saying it won't be a situation that gets rushed through rehab assignments, and the decision to call up Staumont is a pretty clear indication of that.