Twins Plan to Call Up Familiar Pitcher for Hybrid Duties

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Louie Varland
Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Twins starting rotation has been in flux down the stretch. Depth wasn’t prioritized at all this year. Injuries to Joe Ryan and Chris Paddack have put manager Rocco Baldelli in a top spot. As they claw towards the finish, Minnesota is piecing things together.

Here comes Louie Varland, but not for the Minnesota Twins bullpen

The Minnesota Twins are in Tampa, Florida this week for a four-game series with the Rays. The St. Paul Saints are at home against the Iowa Cubs. Louie Varland isn’t in Minnesota though. Instead, he reportedly has a locker at The Trop.

No move has been made official, but Varland’s addition to the big league roster is expected prior to Wednesday’s game. The St. Paul native last pitched for the Twins on August 14 against the Kansas City Royals.

It doesn’t sound like he will start, though. MLB.com has the Twins using an “Opener”, Ronny Henriquez, who’s expected to pitch the first one or two innings, then pass the ball to Varland.

For the Twins this season, Louie Varland has thrown 36 2/3 innings with a 6.14 ERA. Since his April demotion, however, he has made four appearances, posting a 3.60 ERA and 14/2 strikeout/walk ratio. Varland threw 149 2/3 innings across Triple-A and the majors, last season. He’s up to 100 innings, in 2024.

When will Minnesota Twins transition Varland to relief?

The Twins have 24 games remaining in their regular season. That means, at most, they will go through the rotation five more times. Whether he’s with the Twins or the Saints, it’s possible this is the 26-year-old’s final start of the season.

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At some point, Rocco Baldelli will move Varland into the bullpen, where he could be an important relief arm, come October. For now, though, he still serves as an emergency starting option, given the Twins lack of rotation depth.

Wednesday, he will give rookie starters Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa, and Zebby Matthews a much-needed extra day of rest. The Twins have used nine different starting pitchers this season. Outside of Lopez, Joe Ryan (now injured), and Bailey Ober, consistency has been tough to find.

Last season, Varland showed he can dial it up in relief, hitting triple-digits on his fastball. Given the state of affairs for the Twins relief corps, that’s something the group could absolutely use right now.

Related: Why Aren’t the Minnesota Twins Calling Up Louie Varland?

With only a few more weeks in the regular season, the move from rotation to bullpen needs to happen soon. St. Paul finishes their season on September 22. It makes sense for Varland to get a turn or two out of the Triple-A bullpen, before jumping into the big league one.

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