The Minnesota Twins' battle among relievers this spring will be an interesting storyline to watch. The team has too many lefties, too many question marks, and not enough solid arms for fans to enter the regular season feeling like the staff is strong. The starting rotation also is giving fans enough to worry about, too.
But back to the bullpen. On Satuday, the Twins had their first spring training game against an MLB team. Facing the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota fell short in a 7-2 final. Royce Lewis had two hits, including a home run, and Simeon Woods Richardson looked in midseason form.
But Grant Hartwig, signed to a minor league deal this winter, struggled as he earned the loss. Hartwig was Minnesota's fifth pitcher to enter on Saturday, and handed out three runs (two earned) in the seventh inning. He scattered two hits and a walk, getting tabbed with a blown save and the loss.
Hartwig, who did not pitch in the big leagues in 2025, cannot afford to have any more of these kind of outings, or else he won't sniff the MLB roster.
Kristian Campbell with a bloop double into right-center. He's back in CF this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/zWPTbTheGr
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) February 21, 2026
Grant Hartwig has to come back convincingly in next outing at Twins' spring training
Hartwig faced Matt Thaiss to lead off the seventh inning. He had Thaiss down 0-2 in the count, then walked him on 10 pitches. He then hung a breaking ball on Boston's young prospect Kristian Campbell for a double one batter later.
Batting third in the inning, Mikey Romero fended off being down 0-2 by smoking a two-run single, which gave Boston the lead. Earning the loss isn't a big deal in the spring, but Hartwig struggled with his sequencing and with getting too much plate on his pitches.
It was not a strong first impression for him, but it's not necessarily the end of the world. Hartwig will have at least a few more opportunities to bounce back, but he needs to leave his first spring outing in the rearview mirror.