After defeating the Chicago White Sox 9-6 largely due to a Tristan Gray grand slam, the Minnesota Twins acquired right-handed reliever Justin Lawrence from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for cash considerations, the team announced. The Twins already had an open 40-man roster spot before acquiring Lawrence. However, Lawrence is out of minor-league options, so Minnesota will need to add him to its MLB roster. Anthony Banda, Taylor Rogers and Yoendrys Gómez are Minnesota's only relievers without options. Most likely, the Twins will option Travis Adams, Mike Paredes or Kody Funderburk to clear space for Lawrence.
We have made the following trade: pic.twitter.com/lEuMlvTVVN
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) June 2, 2026
Lawrence, 31, has had a rough season with Pittsburgh, posting a 5.32 ERA in 22 innings with a poor 11.3% walk rate (24th percentile) and a 1.55 WHIP. However, he has a solid 23.6% strikeout rate (59th percentile) this year, and his sinker, which he has thrown 42.2% of the time in 2026, averages 95.6 mph (69th percentile). Lawrence complements his sinker with a low-80s sweeper (39.6% pitch usage) and four-seam fastball (18.2% pitch usage).
Justin Lawrence and his super sweeper head to Minnesota! The high FIP and walk rate are concerning but maybe they can get him on the right track. https://t.co/3iyN9Bdqi3 pic.twitter.com/mBroZ3PoAs
— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) June 2, 2026
There are reasons for Twins fans to be optimistic about Lawrence despite his struggles
Twins fans shouldn't get too excited about Lawrence, but there are still reasons to be optimistic about the right-hander. He only threw 17 2/3 innings last season due to an elbow injury, but was fantastic in his limited action, boasting a 0.51 ERA with 23 strikeouts over 17 2/3 innings for the Pirates. He had rough 2021, 2022 and 2024 seasons with the Colorado Rockies but had a solid 2023 season with the club, posting a 3.72 ERA across 75 innings. It's worth noting that it's extremely difficult for pitchers to succeed with Colorado due to the hitter-friendly nature of Coors Field.
Also, for those of you who forgot, much of Twins Territory was underwhelmed when the Twins acquired Gómez from the Rays for cash on May 6. Gómez posted a 6.23 ERA across 17 1/3 innings with Tampa Bay this season. Since joining Minnesota, he's pitched to an outstanding 0.79 ERA across 11 1/3 innings. The Twins deserve credit for identifying Gómez as someone who could help the club's bullpen, which has struggled for much of the season, ranking 25th in ERA and 29th in strikeout rate. As unexciting as the Lawrence trade may seem, Gómez's success since joining the Twins is one reason to be optimistic about relievers the team brings in from outside the organization.
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