Twins claim reliever Tonkin off waivers from Yankees; veteran has switched teams 5 times in 9 months

By The Associated Press

New York Yankees relief pitcher Michael Tonkin reacts to the final out of the 12th inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Chris Szagola]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins claimed well-traveled relief pitcher Michael Tonkin off waivers from the New York Yankees on Tuesday, attempting to boost a taxed bullpen by bringing back the 34-year-old for a second stint this season.

Tonkin was drafted by the Twins and made his debut with them in 2013, pitching five years for the team before moving to the Japan Pacific League in 2018. The right-hander was out of the major leagues for five seasons until returning in 2023 and logging 80 innings for the Atlanta Braves.

In others moves, Minnesota designated right-handed reliever Trevor Richards for release or assignment. Richards made 10 appearances for the Twins after being acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays before the trade deadline. He was 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA and had thrown seven wild pitches in just 10 innings. He leads all major leaguers with 13 wild pitches this season in 65 1/3 innings.

“I do think Trevor has a lot of good days ahead of him pitching in the big leagues and throwing the ball well,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He still can do a lot of good things with the baseball. But he struggled with his command here. It would not be honest to just ignore that point. It’s true. But I think you just sometimes have to make a challenging call.”

Minnesota also selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Caleb Boushley from Triple-A St. Paul, while transferring starter Joe Ryan to the 60-day injured list. He’s been out since Aug. 7 with a right shoulder strain. Boushley takes Richards’ roster spot while waiting for Tonkin to join the team.

“I think there’s a lot of clubs, us included, that are showing they value Tonk and what he can bring to the table,” Baldelli said. “He still has good, competitive stuff, and some angles that he works with and some things we think can be effective.”

This is the fifth time Tonkin has switched teams in the last nine months, having signed with the New York Mets to start the season, been traded to the Twins, gone back on waivers to the Mets, moved across town through waivers to the Yankees and now headed to the Twins again. Tonkin has a 4.23 ERA in 291 1/3 career innings, all in relief.

“He’s been a good pitcher the last couple years,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before Tuesday’s game in Washington. “You know, he did a really good job with the Braves last year. Obviously, did a really good job with us. … We, obviously, hated to lose him. I’m happy for him that he got picked up, especially with a contender. Minnesota got themselves a good pitcher.”

The Twins have four relievers on the injured list, including two they were counting on for key late-inning roles. Brock Stewart is done for the season after appearing in only 16 games and needing shoulder surgery. Justin Topa has yet to pitch for the Twins this year because of knee and elbow injuries.

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Ben Nuckols in Washington contributed to this report.

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