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Inside The Twins

Twins' New Roster Move Adds Some Fastball Velocity to Their Bullpen

The Twins have selected the contract of veteran MLB reliever Luis Garcia.
Will Ragatz|
Mar 28, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Luis Garcia (40) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the tenth inning at Citi Field.
Mar 28, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Luis Garcia (40) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the tenth inning at Citi Field. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Twins

In an era where seemingly every team has multiple relievers who can touch 100 miles per hour, the Twins' bullpen is notable for its lack of fastball velocity. Their most recent roster move will change that, at least somewhat.

The Twins have placed right-handed reliever Garrett Acton on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain, they announced on Tuesday. To take his spot, they've selected the contract of veteran righty Luis Garcia, who they signed to a minor-league contract last week after he was designated for assignment by the Mets. Triple-A reliever Zak Kent was DFA'd to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Garcia.

Garcia, 39, has thrown 589.2 innings with nine different teams since making his MLB debut with the Phillies in 2013. He owns a career 4.11 ERA. His best season came with Philadelphia in 2017, but he was an effective reliever as recently as last year, when he had a 3.42 ERA across 55.1 innings with the Dodgers, Nationals, and Angels.

One thing Garcia has always brought to the table is a big sinking fastball. Throughout his career, he's consistently averaged 96-97 miles per hour with his sinker, and that mark peaked at 98.6 during the 2022 season. It has to be noted that Garcia's sinker averaged only 94 miles per hour in six appearances for the Mets earlier this season, but he did average over 96 in each of his two recent outings for Triple-A St. Paul, including touching 97.6 on Sunday.

Garcia complements his sinker with a splitter and a sweeper, both of which are capable of missing bats when he executes. He does have a career 10 percent walk rate and 1.428 WHIP, which is a big reason why he's bounced around the league as much as he has since 2019.

Acton has been solid for the Twins this season, recording a 2.70 ERA across 6.2 innings. He'll now miss at least a couple weeks with his shoulder injury. Kent made a couple appearances for the Twins earlier this season and has a 2.79 ERA with St. Paul.

Here's what the Twins' current bullpen looks like, with each pitcher's average fastball velocity this year included. Garcia joins rookie Andrew Morris as Minnesota's only relief pitchers who consistently throw 95 or above.

  • RHP Cole Sands (92.9)
  • RHP Justin Topa (93.5)
  • RHP Eric Orze (91.7)
  • LHP Anthony Banda (93.3)
  • LHP Kody Funderburk (92.0)
  • LHP Taylor Rogers (90.7)
  • RHP Luis Garcia (94.0, but 96.9 last season)
  • RHP Andrew Morris (95.4)
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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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