The Minnesota Twins have granted right-handed reliever Liam Hendriks his release, according to The Athletic's Dan Hayes.
The move is a bit surprising. Hendriks signed a minor-league deal with the Twins last month with hopes of making an Opening Day bullpen that is full of uncertainties. Although Hendriks has struggled and missed time due to injuries and recovering from lymphoma in recent years, he was arguably the best closer in baseball not too long ago.
It's not like Hendriks, 37, has had a terrible spring training, either. In seven innings across seven outings, Hendriks has allowed three runs on nine hits, five walks and a hit batter while collecting five strikeouts. Obviously he has struggled limiting baserunners this spring, but his overall results are solid.
Given that Hendriks was granted his release, he was likely told he won't make the Opening Day roster. The Twins would've liked it if Hendriks had accepted a minor-league option, but it makes sense why he wasn't willing to do so. Now, he can sign with another team that'd be willing to begin the season with the righty on its big-league squad.
Many Twins fans had been hoping to see Hendriks, who played for Minnesota from 2011 to 2013, pitch for the Twins during the 2026 regular season, so the news of the righty being released is quite a bummer for Twins Territory.
How will Twins' Opening Day bullpen look after team released Liam Hendriks?
The presumed locks to make Minnesota's Opening Day bullpen are Anthony Banda, Justin Topa, Cole Sands, Eric Orze and Taylor Rogers. That leaves three open spots, as teams typically carry eight relievers.
Based on experience and spring training performances, fans can probably expect to see Andrew Chafin, who has a 3.00 ERA over six innings this spring, and Dan Altavilla, who looked solid in two outings for Team Italy during the 2026 World Baseball Classic, on Minnesota's Opening Day roster.
The final bullpen spot will most likely go to Zak Kent, whom the Twins claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals in late February. Kent, who made 12 appearances with the Cleveland Guardians last season, has surrendered three runs on two hits and one walk with seven strikeouts across 5 2/3 innings with Minnesota this spring.
The Twins could also start the season with a six-man rotation of Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Taj Bradley, Simeon Woods Richardson, Mick Abel and Zebby Matthews, which would leave one of the aforementioned relievers off the roster.
Regardless of how the Twins decide to piece together their bullpen for Opening Day, it's hard not to be upset about the release of Hendriks. Time will tell if it was the right move.