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Minnesota Twins Activate Kendry Rojas From Injured List, DFA Struggling Reliever
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- Minnesota Twins Activate Kendry Rojas From Injured List, DFA Struggling Reliever
(Brad Penner - Imagn Images)
The addition of Rojas is huge for the Twins .
The Minnesota Twins announced they have activated pitcher Kendry Rojas from the 15-day injured list and designated reliever Justin Lawrence for assignment.
Rojas had been experiencing left elbow inflammation that landed him on the injured list after nearly three weeks at the big league level.
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The 23-year-old made his major league debut on April 22 and had looked sharp in five appearances with the Twins. His role during that brief stint remained undefined for good reason — he presents the ability to pitch in long-relief and as a potential starter.
In those five appearances, Rojas looked very encouraging on the mound. He posted a 1.26 ERA over 14 ⅓ innings, but struggled with command, walking 10 batters while striking out 14.
Rojas made his only rehab appearance on Wednesday with Triple-A St. Paul and struggled, but the Twins were encouraged with his stuff rather than the statistical result. He allowed five earned runs in just 1 ⅓ innings, but Minnesota was satisfied with his velocity and command in the outing.
Upon his return, it is unlikely that Rojas will be able to turn around a full start, but should be an arm that Twins manager Derek Shelton can depend on to cover around three to four innings.
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With the recent setback suffered by Mick Abel , the Twins will need a pitcher to step up and take on a significant role, as Minnesota's rotation has been depleted recently. In being able to rely on Rojas in a swingman role, the Twins may be hoping for more.
Minnesota opted to end the experiment with Lawrence in the bullpen to make room for Rojas on the active roster. The right-handed reliever had struggled in a brief stint with the team.
The Twins took a flyer on Lawrence after he had been designated for assignment by the Pittsburgh Pirates at the end of May, hoping he could rediscover the form he had on the mound in 2025. Instead, his woes worsened upon joining the Twins bullpen.
In just seven outings, Lawrence allowed 12 runs in six innings pitched, posting an ERA of 18.00. His last appearance on Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks was his worst yet, as he allowed five earned runs and walked four batters without getting out of the inning.
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Lawrence did flash his strikeout ability in punching out 12 batters over those six innings, but the bat-to-ball results were enough to write him off the roster. He does have a guaranteed $1.225 million contract, so there is a strong chance he goes unclaimed on waivers. Minnesota saw him as an odd man out to make way for Rojas' return to the mound.
