Twins may have tough decisions to make on Woods Richardson, Jorge Alcala

Two struggling Twins pitchers got absolutely rocked by the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.

Jun 10, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson (24) walks off the field after getting pulled from the game against the Texas Rangers in the fifth inning at Target Field. / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers came into Tuesday night's series opener at Target Field ranked dead last among all 30 MLB teams in OPS, right behind the lowly Rockies and White Sox. They proceeded to raise their collective OPS by several points over the course of the evening, racking up 17 hits and 16 runs in a thorough demolition of the Twins.

It was undoubtedly a cathartic night for Rangers players and fans after close to half a season of poor offensive production. For the Twins, it was rather concerning. Three pitchers combined to allow all of those runs, and for two of them, it was a continuation of struggles that date back to the second half of last season. Treading water in the 20 games since their lengthy winning streak, the Twins may have tough decisions to make on both pitchers.

Starting on the mound, out of injury-induced necessity, was Simeon Woods Richardson. With both Pablo Lopez and Zebby Matthews on the IL, the Twins had to turn to essentially the seventh starting option in the organization. SWR made the five-man rotation out of spring training this year, but was demoted in mid-May.

His return to the big leagues did not go well. It started off nicely, as he got through three scoreless innings, but the Rangers jumped on him for three runs (two earned) after a Byron Buxton error to open the fourth. After the Twins cut the deficit to 3-2 in the bottom half, things got out of control in the top of the fifth, with Woods Richardson allowing a walk and then three consecutive two-out hits. He departed with the score at 5-2 and got no favors from Justin Topa, who allowed both inherited runs to score, then one more of his own.

SWR's final line was 4.2 innings pitched, 7 hits, 7 runs (6 ER), 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts. He generated only seven swings and misses on 98 pitches. His ERA was at 4.01 after seven starts this season, but two consecutive rough outings have raised it to 5.74. Last year, Woods Richardson had an impressive 3.27 ERA after going six scoreless against the Phillies on July 23 in what was his 17th start of the season. Over his final 11 starts, he had a 5.91 ERA. Combine those two stretches, and you get a 5.83 ERA over his last 20 starts, dating back to last season. That's a big sample size that suggests the 24-year-old probably isn't cut out to be a big-league starter right now.

Simeon Woods Richardson has thrown 176 innings since the start of 2023:

First 88 IP:
32 ER
3.27 ERA
8 HR allowed

Last 88 IP:
57 ER
5.83 ERA
16 HR allowed

— Matthew Taylor (@MatthewTaylorMN) June 11, 2025

It seems likely that Minnesota will give SWR a couple more chances to prove himself while they wait for Matthews to return. But they should at least consider giving an opportunity to Andrew Morris, a top-ten prospect in their organization who has put up decent numbers at Triple-A St. Paul this year. And thinking long term, they should really think about trading for a starting pitcher to help keep them afloat during Lopez's absence. Matthews looks to have more upside than SWR, but he also has a 6.19 ERA in 13 MLB starts. We haven't even mentioned David Festa, who takes a 5.00 MLB ERA into Wednesday night's game against the Rangers.

Alcala running out of leash?

The other pitcher we have to talk about is Jorge Alcala. Once a valuable high-leverage piece in the Twins' bullpen, he fell apart late last season and hasn't been able to pull it together this year. Alcala, who has been reduced to low-leverage spots this year, entered Tuesday's game in the top of the seventh inning with Minnesota down 10-4. After a scoreless first frame, he came back out for the eighth and allowed the first six batters to reach on five hits and a walk. All six came around and scored, although the final run of the inning was unearned.

It was another ugly outing for Alcala, who has allowed eight earned runs over his last two appearances and sports an 8.88 ERA this season, as well as a WHIP that's over 1.80. His story looks similar to Woods Richardson's. Alcala had a 1.60 ERA early last August and a 2.15 mark entering play on August 18, when his blowup against the Rangers marked the beginning of the Twins' stunning 39-game collapse.

Alcala still possesses a blazing fastball and offspeed pitches that look nasty at times, but his control has been a mess and he's just gotten hit way too hard for a long time now. The Twins have to be running out of patience with the 29-year-old as he continues to flounder.

Jorge Alcala has a 7.77 ERA in 41 appearances since August 1 of last season, allowing 38 earned runs in 44 innings.

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) June 11, 2025

Something probably has to be done with Alcala. It wouldn't be a surprise if he winds up designated for assignment soon in favor of Michael Tonkin, who started a Triple-A rehab assignment recently, or maybe Travis Adams. It's getting very difficult to justify sending Alcala back out to the mound, and the Twins could use someone in their bullpen who can eat multiple innings in low-leverage situations.

Since the 13-game winning streak that revived their season, the Twins have gone 9-11 and currently sit at 35-31. Whereas the offense was the issue earlier this season, right now the back end of an injured pitching staff is the glaring concern that threatens to derail their success.