St. Paul reliever Matt Bowman reportedly exercising opt-out clause with Twins

Bowman has played for six MLB teams and has been pitching well in Triple-A.

Feb 26, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Minnesota Twins pitcher Matt Bowman (51) throws a pitch during the third inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Twins reliever Matt Bowman, who has been with the Triple-A St. Paul Saints, is exercising the opt-out clause in his contract, according to NY Post insider Jon Heyman. That means Minnesota has until Monday to either add him to its big-league roster or release him.

Bowman, 33, has a 1.37 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 19.2 innings with St. Paul this year. He's appeared for the Twins and two other MLB teams this season, recording a 5.40 ERA in 15 innings.

It's been an eventful year for Bowman. This winter, the Twins signed him to a minor-league deal. He began the season with the Saints, then had his contract selected in mid-April and made five appearances with the Twins. Bowman was traded to the Diamondbacks for cash in May, struggled across four outings, and was released. He signed with the Mariners in June and made one appearance for them, spending most of his time with Triple-A Tacoma. Bowman was then released again and signed a new deal with the Twins on July 4.

Now Bowman could be on the move again — unless the Twins decide to bring him back to their big-league roster.

Originally a 13th-round pick by the Mets in 2012, Bowman appeared in 156 games with the Cardinals from 2016-18. He's also pitched in MLB for the Reds, Yankees, Twins, Diamondbacks, and Mariners. He has a 4.22 ERA in 200.1 MLB innings and, coincidentally, a 4.22 ERA in 326.2 career innings at the AAA level.