Twins activate reliever Brock Stewart, DFA Floro

Entering the final week of the regular season, the Minnesota Twins have gotten bullpen reinforcements.

Tuesday, the club activated reliever Brock Stewart from his rehab assignment and reinstated him from the 60-day injured list.

Stewart hasn’t pitched for the Twins since landing on the 15-day injured list on June 27 due to right elbow soreness. However, what was initially viewed as a short-term issue turned into a long-term problem and kept him sidelined the past several months.

He played in three games with Triple-A St. Paul on his rehab assignment, tossing 3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts while topping out at 98.9 mph.

If he can return to his pre-injury form, Stewart’s return would be huge for Minnesota’s postseason efforts, as he was stellar before getting injured. In the 25 games he played before his injury, Stewart allowed just two earned runs over 25.2 innings for a 0.70 ERA while striking out 35 and walking 11. He notched seven holds, one save and 12.3 strikeouts per 9 innings while holding opponents to a .172 batting average.

To make room for Stewart on the roster, the Twins designated reliever Dylan Floro for release or assignment.

Floro, who was acquired from Miami in the days leading up to this summer’s trade deadline for struggling reliever Jorge López, pitched in 19 games with the Twins, posting a 5.29 ERA with 17 strikeouts and six walks across 17 innings. López didn’t do any better for Miami, posting a 9.26 ERA in 12 games before the Marlins waived him and he was claimed by Baltimore, whom the Twins initially acquired him from last year.

The Twins play their final three home games of the regular season against Oakland before finishing with three games in Colorado this weekend. They will then start postseason play on Oct. 3.