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• Twins' Louie Varland: Moving to bullpen

  09/06/2024 • By RotoWire

  Varland is expected to be used in a traditional relief role down the stretch, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. It had previously seemed as though the Twins were considering a quasi six-man rotation with Varland included as a bulk reliever, but he pitched his way out of that conversation in a hurry. Varland gave up eight runs on five hits and a walk over 2.1 innings against the Rays on Wednesday, bringing his ERA to 7.62 through 39 innings with the major-league team this season.

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• Twins' Louie Varland: Recalled, should work in bulk relief

  09/04/2024 • By RotoWire

  The Twins recalled Varland from Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday. Ronny Henriquez will draw the starting assignment for the Twins in Wednesday's game at Tampa Bay, but he's expected to work an inning or two before giving way to Varland, who will likely be deployed in bulk relief, per Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. A decent showing Wednesday could be enough for Varland to stick around with the Twins as part of a six-man rotation. The Twins have just two days off over the final 26 days of the regular season, so the addition of Varland would help provide extra rest for the team's other starters heading into the playoffs.

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• Twins' Louie Varland: Could start Wednesday for big club

  09/02/2024 • By RotoWire

  Varland may be a candidate for a promotion from Triple-A St. Paul to fill the opening in the Twins rotation Wednesday at Tampa Bay, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. The Twins already have a five-man rotation in place, but manager Rocco Baldelli is presumably keen on building in an extra day of rest for the team's starters while Minnesota is in the midst of a stretch of 13 games in 13 days. While Varland should eventually settle into a bullpen role for Minnesota in September, the Twins' decision not to call him up Sunday when the active roster expanded to 28 men suggests he's being ticketed for a start Wednesday. Varland owns a 1.93 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 39:13 K:BB in 32.2 innings over his last six outings for St. Paul but has largely struggled during his time in the big leagues with a 4.91 ERA across 124.2 career innings.

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• Twins' Louie Varland: Used as reliever

  08/29/2024 • By RotoWire

  Varland threw five scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in a relief appearance Wednesday for Triple-A St. Paul. It was his first relief appearance in the minors this season. Varland was an impact reliever late last season and into the playoffs for the Twins, but was moved back to the rotation this year. The Twins have said they're contemplating moving him to the bullpen for similar usage this season, so this outing could be the first step to using him in the majors as a reliever.

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• Twins' Louie Varland: Remains winless

  08/14/2024 • By RotoWire

  Varland (0-5) took the loss Wednesday against the Royals, allowing three earned runs on eight hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out three. Optioned to Triple-A following Friday's start, Varland was recalled Wednesday to make his second start since June 16. The 26-year-old managed to notch his first quality start of the season, but he was fortunate to surrender just the three runs. The right-hander allowed baserunners in all six innings he pitched while yielding solo home runs to Bobby Witt and Paul DeJong. Varland will continue to vie for the Twins' fifth rotation spot with Joe Ryan (shoulder) and Chris Paddack (forearm) sidelined, but his 6.14 ERA and 1.64 WHIP across 36.2 innings this season do not inspire confidence.

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