Thielbar allowed a hit and recorded one out to pick up a save over the Angels on Friday.
Thielbar entered a 5-2 game with two outs and two runners on base. He gave up an RBI single to Zach Neto -- which was charged to Matt Bowman -- before closing out the contest. It was Thielbar's first save of the season. He now owns a 10.38 ERA with 4:2 K:BB through 4.1 frames.
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Twins' Bailey Ober: Notches second win
Rotowire
Ober (2-1) allowed two runs on three this and three walks over 7.1 innings Friday, striking out eight and earning a win over the Angels.
Ober fired five shutout frames before the Angels broke through with a run in the sixth inning. After he was throttled for eight runs in his season debut, the 28-year-old righty has given up just four runs over his last four starts, dropping his ERA down to 4.21 through 25.2 innings. He's also posted an impressive 24:6 K:BB through 24.1 frames over his last four outings. Ober is currently in line for a road matchup with the White Sox next week, where he has a good chance to continue riding this momentum.
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Twins' Nick Wittgren: Joins Twins on minors deal
Rotowire
Wittgren signed a minor-league contract with the Twins on Friday.
Wittgren posted a 4.97 ERA and 1.41 WHIP across 29 innings with the Royals last season, and he'll now attempt to work his way back to the majors as part of the Twins organization. The 32-year-old righty will report to Double-A Wichita but could advance to Triple-A St. Paul if he gets off to a fast start with Wichita.
Jax earned the save Thursday against the White Sox, striking out one over a scoreless two-thirds of an inning.
Jax entered the game with one out and the bases loaded to protect a four-run lead in the top of the ninth inning, and he got Eloy Jimenez to go down swinging before Robbie Grossman reached on a fielding error, bringing home a run. Jax's next pitch coaxed a groundout from Andrew Vaughn to secure his fourth save of the season. The right-hander has not allowed a run in any of his last four appearances and has held his opponents hitless in each of his last three, striking out four over that stretch while not issuing any walks. However, Jax's stint as closer is likely about to end with Jhoan Duran (oblique) on a rehab assignment at Triple-A St. Paul and poised to make his 2024 debut within the next week or so.
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Twins' Brock Stewart: Scoreless streak continues
Rotowire
Stewart allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two over a scoreless inning to earn a hold in Thursday's 6-3 victory over the White Sox.
The right-hander has thrown 11.1 scoreless innings to begin the season with a 15:6 K:BB ratio. He hasn't finished any games or had any save chances with Jhoan Duran (oblique) sidelined, as Stewart has been used primarily in the eighth inning. However, he's amassed six holds.
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Twins' Jose Miranda: Homers in win
Rotowire
Miranda went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in Thursday's 6-3 win over the White Sox.
Miranda hasn't been able to get on base since getting called up April 8, as he entered Thursday hitting just .200 (7-for-35) with one walk in 13 games. He'll need to keep on a roll to get regular time at third base. However, Kyle Farmer is slumping even worse with a .297 OPS as the Twins struggle to find production at third base in the absence of Royce Lewis (quadriceps).
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Twins' Edouard Julien: Belts two homers in win
Rotowire
Julien went 2-for-4 with two solo homers in Thursday's win over the White Sox.
Julien has shown good power early in the season with seven home runs and a .513 SLG, with three of those long balls coming in his past four contests. He's hitting just .213 and has a 31.9 percent strikeout rate, which is a marginal increase on his strikeout rate from last season.
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Twins' Carlos Santana: Hits first homer
Rotowire
Santana went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, his first of the season, in Thursday's 6-3 victory over the White Sox.
After a dreadful start to the campaign (.347 OPS and one extra base hit in his first 16 games), Santana is finally showing some signs of life at the plate. He's 4-for-18 with a double and home run in his last five games, which is good for a .778 OPS.
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Twins' Simeon Woods Richardson: Solid start against White Sox
Rotowire
Woods Richardson gave up two runs on seven hits and one walk over five innings in Thursday's win over the White Sox, but he didn't factor in the no-decision. He struck out six.
Woods Richardson pitched well enough to likely keep him in the rotation for at least another start or two as the Twins look for a fifth starter. He's shown increased velocity this season with an average 93.2-mph fastball, which is up nearly three ticks from last season. The 23-year-old has given up just three runs with an 11:2 K:BB across 11 innings through two starts.
Topa (knee) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Topa opened the season on the shelf with left patellar tendinitis but has been cleared to test himself in a game setting. The reliever presumably will need multiple rehab appearances before returning from the 15-day injured list and slotting back into the Minnesota bullpen.
Buxton is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the White Sox.
Buxton looks to be getting a routine day off, affording Austin Martin a turn in center field Thursday. Buxton has shown signs of life at the plate over his last eight games, slashing .323/.344/.613 with one homer run, four doubles and one triple during that stretch.
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Twins' Ronny Henriquez: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Twins optioned Henriquez to Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday.
Henriquez tossed two scoreless frames in his lone appearance while he was up with the big club. He's clearing out to make room for right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson, who was recalled from St. Paul ahead of his scheduled start Thursday versus the White Sox.
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Twins' Simeon Woods Richardson: Recalled ahead of start
Rotowire
The Twins recalled Woods Richardson from Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday.
He will start Thursday's game against the White Sox, and with Louie Varland back in the minors, Woods Richardson will have an opportunity to stick in the Twins rotation for a while. The right-hander spun six innings of one-run ball against the Tigers on April 13, but a 6.08 ERA across 13.1 innings in three starts with St. Paul this season suggests that fantasy managers should exercise caution with him.
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Twins' Emmanuel Rodriguez: Hurt after sliding into second
Rotowire
Rodriguez left Wednesday's game at Double-A Wichita in the seventh inning after suffering an undisclosed injury during a stolen-base attempt, TwinsDaily.com reports.
Rodriguez appeared to injure his arm while sliding headfirst into second base and walked off with trainers. The severity of the injury isn't yet known. He's off to a strong start at Double-A by hitting .294 with a 1.193 OPS, four home runs and nine stolen bases in 16 games.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Two hits, homer
Rotowire
Castro went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and a double during Wednesday's 6-3 win over the White Sox.
Castro tagged Garrett Crochet for a three-run homer in the second inning, plating Austin Martin and Christian Vazquez for his second long ball of 2024. Castro has generated a hit in six of his last seven games, a stretch in which he has four extra-base hits, a .333 batting average and five runs batted in.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Notches another save
Rotowire
Jax pitched a perfect ninth inning and struck out one to pick up his third save of the season Wednesday against the White Sox.
Jax seems to have taken hold of the closing job in place of Jhoan Duran, who's in the midst of a rehab assignment after suffering an oblique injury late in camp. Jax has twirled back-to-back perfect innings for a pair of saves and owns a 2.70 ERA with a 14:3 K:BB over 11 appearances (10 innings), but his run in the ninth inning will likely come to an end soon with Duran nearing activation.
