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Twins Claim New Pitcher; Officially Place Ace on IL
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- Twins Claim New Pitcher; Officially Place Ace on IL
Eric Canha-Imagn Images Eric Canha-Imagn Images
While February is almost in the rearview mirror, the Minnesota Twins have not yet turned the first page of their season calendar . There's a long way to go, which is good news. The bad news is that there has already been a significant amount of unfortunate happenings .
Pablo Lopez was lost for the season due to a torn UCL , and though he had the less severe procedure completed , he still won't be back. That left an avenue to an opening on the 40-man roster, and Minnesota wasted no time filling in.
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Zak Kent claimed by MN Twins
The Minnesota Twins know there is no way Pablo Lopez was going to pitch this season. By placing him on the 60-day injured list he cleared a spot on the 40-man roster. That move coincided with Minnesota claiming right-handed pitcher Zak Kent.
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We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/qpyMbHaXf1
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) February 26, 2026
Announced during the MN Twins game against Pittsburgh on Thursday, Kent joins the organization from the St. Louis Cardinals . A 9th round pick in 2019, he hails from the same college (Virginia Military Institute) as former Twins pitcher Josh Winder .
Kent made his big league debut last season with the Cleveland Guardians . He pitched 17 2/3 innings across 12 games, and he finished out contests in 11 of his appearances. Kent had a 16/8 K/BB and carried a 4.58 ERA (3.59 FIP).
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Cleveland waived Kent in December, and the Cardinals waived him in January. He landed with the Texas Rangers , who originally drafted him, only for Kent to head back to St. Louis on February 16th. Now with yet another landing spot, he can head to Fort Myers and get to work.
Congratulations to Zak Kent on making it to The Show yesterday! Kent went 3.0 innings and struck out four, including a big strikeout against 2x MVP, Aaron Judge. #RahVaMil | #VMIBaseCo https://t.co/51ImPbMyfZ pic.twitter.com/SsSxTMwHg5
— VMI Baseball (@VMIbaseco) April 24, 2025
The 28-year-old had an impressive 2.84 ERA in 38 innings at Triple-A (Columbus) last season. His 11.8 K/9 likely earned him the trip to the big leagues, but a 5.0 BB/9 is problematic, and highlights a need to hone in command.
Minnesota's bullpen has some spots accounted for, but the bottom few openings are still present . Kent should be expected to compete for one of those roles. He still has a minor league option remaining , so he could be sent to St. Paul if the Twins want him to stay in the organization.
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