The Twins have decided Simeon Woods Richardson is not only not worth having in their starting rotation, but also not worth having on their 26-man roster at all. Minnesota designated Woods Richardson for assignment on Saturday morning and recalled right-handed pitcher John Klein as a corresponding move, the team announced.
The Twins had seen enough of Woods Richardson after the righty allowed five earned runs to the Chicago White Sox on five hits and three walks across 2 2/3 innings at Rate Field on Thursday. The Twins had moved him to a bullpen role, but he made the start Thursday after the Twins scratched scheduled starter Kendry Rojas with elbow soreness. In 12 appearances (10 starts) this season, Woods Richardson posted a poor 7.74 ERA and 6.13 FIP with a 11.5% strikeout rate, an 11.0% walk rate and a .325 opponent batting average over 47 2/3 innings.
#MNTwins record in games started by Simeon Woods Richardson this season:
— SleeperTwins (@SleeperMLBTwins) May 28, 2026
1-9
Record in games started by anyone else:
26-21 pic.twitter.com/hkeabyojU3
It's not surprising that the Twins got rid of Woods Richardson. However, one could argue that Minnesota should've kept him in a bullpen role rather than designating him for assignment. In two relief appearances this year, Woods Richardson threw three scoreless innings with two strikeouts while surrendering two hits and two walks.
Two of Woods Richardson's innings as a reliever came against the White Sox on Monday afternoon. During that appearance, the 25-year-old righty's fastball averaged 94.1 mph and reached 95.1 mph, while his season average is 92.7 mph. Additionally, he relied on his curveball more than usual in that outing; 10 of Woods Richardson's 35 pitches on Monday were curveballs, which have accounted for just 6% of his pitches this season.
What makes Woods Richardson's season even more disappointing is the fact that he was a solid starter the last two seasons, posting a decent 4.11 ERA with a 21.5% strikeout rate, 9.0% walk rate and .235 opponent batting average in 245 innings across 50 starts. Since he isn't a high-velocity arm, he needs to hit his spots to be successful, which he has clearly struggled to do this season.
Klein gets another chance in majors
Klein had a cup of coffee in the big leagues earlier this month, throwing a scoreless inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in his debut and allowing two runs in 1 1/3 innings against the Washington Nationals before being sent back to Triple-A. Since being optioned, Klein has surrendered five earned runs with 16 strikeouts across 12 1/3 innings.
Klein's pitch arsenal includes a mid-to-high-90s fastball, a low-80s curveball, a mid-80s splitter and an upper-80s cutter. He can throw multiple innings out of the bullpen, as he mainly starts for Triple-A St. Paul and records 3-4 innings per outing.
Add us as a preferred source on Google