The Minnesota Twins have granted releases to right-handed relievers Matt Bowman and John Brebbia after both triggered their opt-outs, according to The Athletic's Dan Hayes. Due to Minnesota's immense bullpen struggles, many Twins fans are upset the team didn't give either of the righties, mainly Bowman, a chance in the big leagues.
You have to wonder why Bowman was let go, it's not like there was not a spot for him in the @Twins bullpen according to his performance at AAA. Then again maybe the GM goes by what the computer says versus what the performance appears to be by the human eye.
— Stoke (@Stoke63538501) May 20, 2026
In the Twins' defense, Bowman and Brebbia are journeymen in their 30s who struggled significantly in the majors last season; Bowman posted a 6.20 ERA over 24 2/3 innings with the Baltimore Orioles, while Brebbia posted a 7.71 ERA across 23 1/3 innings with the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves. However, the Twins' bullpen just needs serviceable arms at this point. Minnesota's relievers rank 28th in ERA (5.08), 29th in strikeout rate (17.8%) and last in batting average against (.263).
Brebbia struggled with the Saints, posting a 6.20 ERA across 20 1/3 innings. However, he had a strong 28.3% strikeout rate for St. Paul. Still, it makes sense why the Twins didn't want to use a 40-man roster spot for Brebbia.
Twins should've cleared 40-man spot for Bowman
It's surprising Minnesota didn't clear a 40-man roster spot for Bowman, however. He has proved he deserves another shot in the majors. In 21 1/3 innings with Triple-A St. Paul this season, Bowman posted a 1.69 ERA with a 28.1% strikeout rate and 6.7% walk rate. Given his success this year, a team will most likely sign the righty and add him to their 26-man roster.
Many agree that Minnesota would've benefited from designating right-handed reliever Luis García, who has posted a 10.38 ERA across 8 2/3 innings since joining the Twins, to clear a roster spot for Bowman. For some reason, Minnesota decided it's worth having Garcia over Bowman.
The Twins made a bold but unsurprising bullpen decision on Tuesday morning, designating righty Justin Topa, who has an 8.05 ERA over 19 innings this season, for assignment. Getting rid of Topa, whom the Twins acquired from the Seattle Mariners as part of the Jorge Polanco trade in 2024, was a step in the right direction for the Twins. However, the team still needs to do more to fix its bullpen struggles. Not that Bowman would've fixed everything that's wrong with the Twins' group of relievers, but he could've been a diamond in the rough for Minnesota and likely would've done a better job than many of the Twins' current relievers.
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