Duffey will compete for a spot in the Twins rotation this spring, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Duffey's chances of claiming a starting gig to open the season looked more promising when pitchers and catchers reported to spring camp last week, but after the club acquired Jake Odorizzi from the Rays on Saturday, it appears only one rotation spot is truly up for grabs at this point. Though all 56 of Duffey's appearances came in relief last season, he was often called upon to record more than three outs and made 36 starts the prior two seasons for the Twins, so building up stamina to work more innings shouldn't be an issue for the right-hander. In addition to Duffey, free-agent pickup Anibal Sanchez and a healthy Phil Hughes look like the top candidates for the No. 5 spot in the rotation, with the pitchers' performances in spring likely to dictate whom receives the nod. Duffey's surface numbers over the past two seasons (5.91 ERA, 1.45 WHIP in 204 innings) aren't impressive, but his 4.38 FIP, .334 BABIP and low 62.3 percent strand rate over that span suggest bad luck may explain some of his struggles.