Twins Opening Day bullpen
While losing Anthony DeSclafani isn't ideal, the slew of injuries have made things a little trickier out in the bullpen.
Jhoan Duran is the biggest loss, as the Twins will be without their closer for the first few series of the season. Losing Caleb Thielbar also eats into Minnesota's stout trio of setup guys, which means Griffin Jax is going to get leaned on a lot to start the year out.
The good news is that the Twins already have a top-rated bullpen, and a deep one at that. The depth will certainly be tested, but the fact that there are plenty of ways to sort things out while Duran and Thielbar get heathly is already some silver lining.
Jax will likely slide into the closer role, with Jorge Alcalá getting some setup work alongside Jay Jackson and Brock Stewart. Kody Funderburk is also moving into a prominent role right away, and Josh Staumont will be there to get some work as well.
Of course, the shiniest addition to the bullpen -- Justin Topa -- is already starting to look even better than he already did. With the Twins' depth getting tested so early, it could be that Topa starts to pay off even sooner than we all expected him to.
Pitcher | Throws |
|---|---|
Griffin Jax | RHP |
Josh Staumont | RHP |
Kody Funderburk | LHP |
Steven Okert | LHP |
Justin Topa | RHP |
Jorge Alcala | RHP |
Jay Jackson | RHP |
Brock Stewart | RHP |
Just Missed The Cut:
- Brent Headrick
- Cole Sands
Some more silver lining to the situation is how we will get to see the bullpen depth on full display and be able to stow it away for later. Two guys will end up going back to St. Paul when Duran and Thielbar are healthy, which will be another testament to just how deeply talented the bullpen is this year.