Inside The Twins

Twins designate Steven Okert for assignment, call up Scott Blewett

Okert struggled mightily for the Twins in 44 appearances this year.
Will Ragatz|
May 7, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins pitcher Steven Okert (16) pitches against the Seattle Mariners in the seventh inning at Target Field.
May 7, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins pitcher Steven Okert (16) pitches against the Seattle Mariners in the seventh inning at Target Field. | Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

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Minnesota Twins

The Twins have designated veteran relief pitcher Steven Okert for assignment, the team announced on Saturday. To take his spot in the bullpen, Scott Blewett has been recalled from Triple-A St. Paul.

Okert struggled mightily for the Twins across 44 appearances this season. The 33-year-old left-hander had a 5.09 ERA, 5.12 FIP, and 1.50 WHIP across 35.1 innings pitched, allowing 37 hits, 16 walks, and 20 earned runs. His -1.75 Win Probability Added, per Fangraphs, was the worst mark among Twins relievers by a mile. Jay Jackson, who was DFA'd in June, is closest at -0.55.

The lasting memory of Okert for Twins fans will likely be the go-ahead three-run home run he allowed to Jurickson Profar in the eighth inning of Tuesday night's game in San Diego. With a few left-handed hitters coming up, Rocco Baldelli went to Okert to protect a 5-3 lead and he promptly gave up hits to the first four batters he faced, including Profar's bomb.

Okert pitched in a low-leverage spot in Friday night's loss against the Cardinals at Target Field, in what may have been his final appearance with the Twins. All season long, he struggled to locate his pitches and was unable to miss any bats with his 93 MPH fastball. He tried to lean on his slider, but it wasn't effective enough. Okert was bad in high-leverage spots, bad with runners against scoring position, and bad against all righties, which is a rough combo.

Prior to this season, the Twins traded Nick Gordon to the Marlins for Okert, who had been a very solid reliever for Miami in 2021 and 2022. That trade didn't work out for either team. Gordon had a .627 OPS in 95 games for the Marlins before getting DFA'd earlier this month. Now Okert has joined him in failing to make it through August.

Blewett is a 28-year-old righty who made one appearance for the Twins earlier this month and previously had a brief stint in the big leagues with the Royals. He has a 3.79 ERA for the Saints in 54.2 innings this season.

37-year-old Caleb Thielbar (5.54 ERA) is currently the only lefty in the Twins' bullpen.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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