Twins claim pitcher Cole Irvin off waivers from Baltimore, option Jorge Alcala

CLEVELAND – Though he’ll only be on the roster for the final 12 games of the season, the Twins added a veteran pitcher Monday, an indication of how unsteady their pitching has been for the past several weeks.

The Twins claimed Cole Irvin, a 30-year-old lefthander who was designated for assignment by the Orioles last week, off waivers. He will join his new team, the fourth of his career, on Tuesday.

In another indication of how the Twins are flailing about for pitching answers, they made room for Irvin by optioning Jorge Alcala back to Class AAA St. Paul after Monday’s loss.

Alcala, 29, enjoyed one of the best months of his career in July, allowing only one run in 10 innings while receiving increasingly high-pressure assignments. But he gave up five runs and retired only two hitters to lose a game against the Rangers on Aug. 18, and he hasn’t been the same pitcher since.

Alcala has allowed 10 runs and five home runs over his last 8⅔ innings, a 10.38 ERA for a pitching staff that Griffin Jax admitted after the game “is kind of running on fumes right now.”

The Twins hope Irvin, who opened the 2024 season in the Orioles’ rotation and made 14 starts through June, can help. At one point in April and May, reeled off 22 consecutive scoreless innings.

But he’s mostly spent the past 11 weeks in the bullpen, with far less effectiveness. His 7.71 ERA in that role made him expendable when the Orioles needed a roster spot last week. The Twins, though, own a 4.76 team ERA in September, which ranks 27th in the game, so they saw an opportunity to reduce the workload on their young staff as they battle for a playoff spot.

It’s even possible he could get a start or two to give their three rookie starters a breather.

“We were thinking, how do we lengthen out what we already have?” said Derek Falvey, the Twins’ president of baseball operations. “He could be your prototypical swingman, who can pitch out of the bullpen. We don’t have a lefthanded starter in the mix right now, either. He just adds another guy that we think can help.”

Irvin, who will only cost the Twins about $150,000 of his $2 million salary, won’t be eligible for the postseason, but he could be a part of next year’s pitching staff, Falvey said.

“Our view is to get to know him a little bit, get to know what he’s trying to do. And our pitching guys already have some ideas about ways where he could be a little bit more like he was early in the year,” Falvey said. “Hopefully we can identify some things that he can do well for us that complement what we always have.”

For Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, adding Irvin, who has also pitched for the Phillies and A’s, gives him another lefthander on a staff that has carried only one, Caleb Thielbar, since Steven Okert was released a month ago. The Twins will also finish the season with the fewest games started by a lefthander in their history; Okert’s one start, as an opener for David Festa against the Phillies in July, is the Twins’ only one, and it lasted only four batters.

“Any team can find ways to use lefthanded arms. There are many pockets every game where you can use them,” Baldelli said. “But it’s not a vital thing. It’s not always a necessity, but I think we can find ways to use this guy, effective ways.”

In addition to demoting Alcala, the Twins designated Class AAA righthander Randy Dobnak for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Irvin, who owns a 6-5 record and 4.86 ERA this year.

Carlos Correa’s return to action after two months off lasted only four innings Saturday, because of Cincinnati’s lopsided victory, but the shortstop said he feels great. He was in the lineup Monday night and said he’s more confident than ever that he can contribute to the team, even with the lingering effects of plantar fasciitis.

“After my first back-to-back, we can start assessing how it’s going to play out, but I’m very positive after Game One,” Correa said. “I’m going to push as much as I can, and I’m going to do everything I can to help our team win.”

Baldelli said he’s not certain when he will use Correa in consecutive games — “We have to see how he’s doing after every one,” the manager said — but it could be during this four-game series.

Correa might also get some time as the designated hitter, Falvey aded, depending on how his right foot reacts to all the activity.

“It’s plantar fasciitis. It hasn’t gone away,” Falvey said. “He’ll have some downtime. We’ll build him up as thoughtfully as we can. Hopefully we’re going to get some version of him building back up that’s ultimately a key piece for us.”

Correa said he was grateful to the Class A pitchers who pitched to him for several days last week to help him get ready.

“They looked really good. They threw strikes and understood the assignment and tried to throw as many strikes as possible,” Correa said. “Sometimes [young pitchers] just want to impress people and not give you anything to hit, but these kids were really good.”

He showed his gratitude, too.

“You have to take care of them,” said Correa, the Twins’ highest-paid player. “You make sure they go get a nice steak or something.”

The Twins named their Harmon Killebrew Award winners for outstanding minor league community service.

The players honored were catcher Chris Williams at Class AAA St. Paul; infielder Jake Rucker at Class AA Wichita; pitcher John Klein at Class A Cedar Rapids; and outfielder Maddux Houghton at Class A Fort Myers.