The Twins announced that right fielder Simeon Woods Richardson selected for assignment. Friend is right John Klein he was called up from Triple-A to the corresponding 26-man roster, and since Klein was already on the 40-man roster, Minnesota now only had 38 players on their 40-man roster.
Woods Richardson has a garish 7.74 ERA over 47 2/3 innings, with almost an equal number of strikeouts (26) and walks (25). Minnesota took SWR out of the rotation two weeks ago, but he was pressed into action Thursday there Kendry Rojas scratched due to elbow problem. The hits kept coming, as Woods Richardson allowed five runs over 2 2/3 innings in the Twins’ 6-2 loss to the White Sox.
While Woods Richardson threw three scoreless innings in his two relief appearances, he allowed a walk and a hit in both outings. Apparently the Twins weren’t feeling good enough about this performance to keep SWR around in a relief role, and with him out of minor league options, Minnesota had to designate Woods Richardson and put him on waivers before attempting to send him down to Triple-A.
A .339 BABIP and 57.9% strikeout rate didn’t help Woods Richardson’s cause, but his 5.74 SIERA shows that his struggles are due to more than just bad luck. Woods Richardson has already hit nine home runs in his 47 2/3 frames, continuing his struggles keeping the ball in the park against major league hitters.
Over 302 1/3 career innings in the Show, Woods Richardson has a 4.76 ERA for the Twins, with a 19.7% strikeout rate and a 9.5% walk rate. His 11.5K% this season is a troubling drop even for a pitcher who didn’t miss many at-bats at first, and the increased use of the splitter proved disastrous, as Woods Richardson’s split-finger fastball became one of the most ineffective offerings of any pitch in baseball.
While Woods Richardson’s peripherals have never been anything special, it’s worth noting that he posted a respectable 4.11 ERA over 245 innings in Minnesota in 2024-25, starting 50 of 51 games. Woods Richardson was also a top-100 prospect back in his days in the Blue Jays farm system, before he was dealt. Austin Martin with a deadline of July 2021 that we sent Jose Berrios to Toronto.
As bad as things have been for Woods Richardson in 2026, his record may make him look like he’s on the verge of a waiver, if the public development workers’ rivals see it as a fix. Woods Richardson is still only 25 years old and has yet to reach settlement eligibility, so he represents an interesting option for teams in need of depth, and he could have a second career move if he is used solely as a reliever.
Rojas was placed on the 15-day injured list yesterday with left elbow inflammation, dealing another blow to the depth of Minnesota’s rotation. While Woods Richardson is no longer in the starting lineup and left Thursday due to an emergency, the Twins now don’t have another pitcher they expected to be part of their 2026 rotation. Pablo Lopez lost Tommy John surgery, David Festa has yet to break out in 2026 due to triceps and shoulder issues, too Mick Abel has not ridden since April 14 due to elbow inflammation.
