Twins demote lefty reliever Kody Funderburk as a response to righty reliever Travis Adams' promotion
The Twins announced that lefty reliever Kody Funderburk, who was called up on May 14 as the 27th man in a doubleheader against the Orioles and stayed on the roster mainly because of lefty Danny Coulombe being on the Injured List, was demoted to Triple-A St. Paul as a corresponding move to righty reliever Travis Adams’ promotion to the big leagues.
When the news of Adams’ promotion broke last night, there was large speculation as to whether Jorge Alcala or Funderburk would be the odd man out, given both of their immense struggles this season. Since Alcala is out of options, Minnesota decided to demote Funderburk, who has an awful 7.50 ERA in 12 innings at the major league level this year.
Funderburk made his major league debut in 2023, and he posted a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings that season. Amid some time in St. Paul, Funderburk struggled with a 6.49 ERA over 34 ⅔ innings with the Twins last year.
The Twins are now without a lefty in their bullpen, which is very telling about how they view Funderburk’s value. Additionally, Coulombe is making a rehab appearance with the Saints on Friday, according to The Athletic’s Dan Hayes, so the Twins are viewing their bullpen’s lack of lefties as a temporary situation.
Instead of wanting an ineffective lefty in the bullpen, the Twins opted to have a fresh arm who has seen success in the minors this year. In 42 innings with the Saints this season, Adams, who has yet to make his MLB debut, has a 3.43 ERA.
Twins set to begin series against the Toronto Blue Jays
The Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays are set to begin a three-game series at 7:10 p.m. CT at Target Field on Friday. The scheduled starting pitchers are righties Bailey Ober for Minnesota and Paxton Schultz for Toronto. The Blue Jays will be a quality challenge for the Twins; they have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games and are tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for the third AL Wild Card spot.