Randy Dobnak Will Make Twins Roster

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Over the weekend, the Twins told reporters (including ) that Rule 5 draft pick  . That decision meant Minnesota would soon have an open spot on the 40-man  the Twins cant keep Castellano if he isnt on the active roster or the IL. It also meant the team had one more spot to fill in the Opening Day bullpen. Today, reported that both of those spots will go to  . The right- Hank Coutoumanos Jersey hander will take on a long relief role to begin the year (per ).  Dobnak, 30, has spent his entire career in the Twins organization. He signed with the club as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and made his big league debut just two years later. The righty earned a regular role in the rotation the following season, making 10 starts with a 4.05 ERA and 4.56 SIERA during the shortened 2020 campaign. Although he failed to mi s many bats (13.5% strikeout rate), Dobnak led all pitchers (min. 40 IP) with a 62.1% groundball rate. He faced 200 batters and allowed just three home runs.  That performance earned Dobnak ahead of 2021, a five-year, $9.25MM guarantee with escalators and club options that could increase the total value of the contract to $29.75MM over eight years. Yet, the Twins put him back in the bullpen to start the season, and while he ultimately made it back to the rotation for a handful of starts, he struggled in both roles. Acro s 14 games (six starts) and 50 2/3 innings, he pitched to a 7.64 ERA, though his 4.53 SIERA was almost identical to his SIERA from the year before.  Things continued trending downhill for Dobnak in 2022, and he ended up sitting out most of the season with a right middle finger strain, an injury that had also given him trouble in 2021. While he was healthy again in 2023, he did not make his way back to the big league roster, spending the season with the Triple-A St. Paul Saints. Dobnak finally returned to the majors in 2024, albeit briefly, to sing 9 2/3 innings in relief. He gave up six runs on 11 hits and five walks, while striking out seven. All told, he has a career 4.99 ERA and 4.43 SIERA over 135 1/3 innings, including 21 starts and 17 games out of the pen.  The Twins initially rea signed Dobnak to minor league camp two weeks ago, but evidently, he pitched well enough over there to change the teams mind. Now in the final guaranteed year of his contract, Dobnak is a useful depth piece for Minnesota. He has experience as both a starter and a reliever, and he has thrown at least 125 innings in each of the past two seasons. Whats more, the Twins can add him to the 40-man and subsequently outright him as much as they would like with little risk of losing him. He does not have the nece sary MLB service time to reject an outright a signment without forfeiting his remaining salary.  Samuel Cosmi Jersey