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Minnesota Twins Option Promising Pitcher to Minors in Flurry of Roster Moves

The Minnesota Twins have sent down Louie Varland to Triple-A as they recalled starting outfielder Max Kepler, who is back from the injured list.
Brady Farkas|
Apr 21, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Louie Varland (37)
Apr 21, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Louie Varland (37) | Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

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Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins have optioned promising starting pitcher Louie Varland to Triple-A and activated starting outfielder Max Kepler amid a flurry of roster moves on Monday.

Per the team, they have sent down Varland and catcher Jair Camargo. They have activated Kepler and brought up pitcher Ronny Henriquez. They've also moved reliever Daniel Duarte to the 60-day injured list as he's out for the season.

Because of the injury to Anthony DeSclafani, Varland made the rotation out of spring training and though he has potential, it just didn't come together at the start of the year. He's currently 0-4 with a 9.18 ERA for Minnesota. He has a WHIP of more than two in 16.2 innings.

Varland became a valuable part of the Twins' roster in 2023, helping them get to the playoffs and win a wild card round series. He appeared in 17 games, making 10 starts, and going 4-3 with a 4.63 ERA. He threw in 68.0 innings. He made his Major League debut in 2022 and appeared in five games.

The Twins are out to a disappointing 7-13 start through the first 20 games of the year, but it doesn't help that both Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa are currently on the injured list.

The Twins will take on the hapless Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Target Field as Chris Paddack pitches against Jonathan Cannon. Paddack is 0-1 with a 8.36 ERA while Cannon is 0-0 with a 1.80 ERA.

The White Sox are 3-18 on the year.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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