Twins right-hander Randy Dobnak handed by way of waivers unclaimed and has been assigned outright to Triple-A St. Paul, per the staff’s transaction log at MLB.com. He was designated for project earlier this week when Minnesota claimed lefty Cole Irvin off waivers from the Orioles.
Dobnak has been outrighted up to now and thus has the correct to reject the project, however he’s a lock to just accept. As a result of he has fewer than 5 years of service time, he’d have to forfeit the rest of this season’s $2.25MM wage and the $4MM he’s nonetheless owed past the present marketing campaign ($3MM wage in ’25, $1MM buyout on a ’26 possibility) to be able to elect free company. There’s clearly no likelihood he’d accomplish that, that means he’ll head again to the Saints and stay with the Twins group as a depth arm each for the rest of this season and a minimum of the 2025 season as nicely.
The 29-year-old Dobnak was a exceptional story again in 2019, when in simply over a 12 months’s time he rose from indie-ball pitcher and Uber driver to the Twins’ massive league roster, even pitching within the playoffs that season. From 2019-20, Dobnak logged 75 innings of three.12 ERA ball with a 15.7% strikeout charge, 5.7% stroll charge and big 58.8% ground-ball charge. On the again of that efficiency, Minnesota inked him a five-year, $9.25MM contract extension that contained a trio of membership choices. It was a low-cost transfer that offered the Twins ample contractual upside if Dobnak proved able to sustaining something near that tempo, however accidents and a decline in his efficiency have rendered the deal underwater.
Dobnak was clobbered for a 7.64 ERA in 2021 after signing that deal. He hit the 60-day injured listing late that season with a strained pulley tendon in his proper center finger and missed a lot of the 2022 marketing campaign with an analogous problem. He pitched simply 25 minor league innings that 12 months and none within the majors. The Twins eliminated him from the 40-man roster and handed him by way of waivers that September. Dobnak was wholesome once more in 2023 however struggled to a 5.13 ERA in 126 1/3 Triple-A frames.
The 2024 season has been one thing of a rebound marketing campaign, a minimum of within the Triple-A ranks. Dobnak has made 23 begins and 4 reduction appearances for the Saints, working to a 3.90 ERA with a 22.5% strikeout charge, 10.4% stroll charge and 57.4% grounder charge in 129 1/3 innings. That efficiency earned him one other look within the massive leagues, however he was tagged for 5 runs 9 hits and 5 walks in 7 2/3 innings earlier than being designated for project as soon as once more.
