Josh Staumont, one of the free agent relievers the Twins signed during the offseason, is lined up to pitch in his first major league game in 11 months.
Twins free-agent signee Josh Staumont finally ready to make debut with team
Staumont pitched well on a rehab assignment at St. Paul, and reliever Jorge Alcala was sent to the Saints after getting charged with the loss in Tuesday’s game.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
May 8, 2024 at 10:49PM
The Twins called up Staumont before Wednesday’s game after they optioned Jorge Alcala to Class AAA. Alcala threw 48 pitches in Tuesday’s 10-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners, yielding four hits and four runs in two innings.
Staumont, a 30-year-old righty, made eight relief appearances for St. Paul. He allowed nine hits and five runs in 10⅔ innings with 16 strikeouts and three walks.
“Josh has explosive stuff,” Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli said. “That’s what he’s been known for.”
The Twins signed Staumont to a one-year, $950,000 contract in December. He had stretches as a dominant reliever with the Kansas City Royals, particularly in 2020 and 2021, and the Twins were hopeful he could regain form after he underwent surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome last summer.
“Having just small little things like waking up after surgery and being able to lift my arm over my head, a very small goal, but it’s one of those things that until you check that box, I can’t play again,” Staumont said. “Today is a little bit of a culmination of two and a half years of really, really struggling.”
The eight Twins headed for arbitration are Royce Lewis, Joe Ryan, Jhoan Duran, Bailey Ober, Ryan Jeffers, Willi Castro, Griffin Jax and Trevor Larnach.
