Romero, who signed a minor-league contract with the Angels in December, has been invited to the major-league camp.
Romero is back in MLB-affiliated ball following two seasons in Japan. The 28-year-old right-hander registered a 5.17 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 69.2 big-league innings with the Twins between the 2018-19 campaigns.
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Fernando Romero: Headed to Japan
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Romero (not injury related) signed a contract with the Yokohama BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball on Friday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Romero was let go by the Twins on Thursday, and he'll spend the 2021 season overseas after missing all of last season due to visa issues. The right-hander made 15 relief appearances in 2019, recording a 7.07 ERA and 2.14 WHIP over 14 innings.
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Fernando Romero: Let go by Minnesota
Rotowire
Romero (not injury related) was released by the Twins on Thursday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
The 25-year-old spent 2020 on the restricted list after missing the entirety of spring training due to visa issues, and he's now in search of a new team. Romero appeared in 15 games for Minnesota in 2019 and had a 7.07 ERA, 2.14 WHIP and 18:11 K:BB over 14 innings.
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Twins' Fernando Romero: Placed on restrictred list
Rotowire
Romero, who missed all of spring training in February and March due to visa issues, was placed on the restricted list ahead of the 2020 season.
Romero wasn't placed on the 60-man player pool as a result. Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said that Romero is not anticipated to arrive for training camp due to continued visa issues from the Dominican Republic. He may not be available this season as a result.
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Twins' Fernando Romero: Visa issues continue
Rotowire
Romero, who missed all of spring training in February and March due to visa issues traveling from the Dominican Republic, has not resolved his visa issues, Aaron Gleeman of TheAthletic.com reports.
Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said that Romero is not anticipated to arrive for training camp next week. It sounds like his availability for the 60-game regular season is very much in doubt.
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Twins' Fernando Romero: Placed on restricted list
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Romero was placed on the restricted list Monday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
The transaction reflects the fact that visa issues have prevented Romero from reporting to camp. It's unclear what exactly those issues are or when he's expected to be able to join his teammates. Once he's cleared to do so, he'll presumably still need time to build up to regular-season shape.
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Twins' Fernando Romero: Could miss spring training
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Romero could miss all of spring training due to a visa issue that has kept him in the Dominican Republic, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "He's still not here and won't be joining us for the foreseeable future," said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli.
Romero was not charged with a crime and isn't being penalized by the team, according to the Star Tribune. He could join the Twins when they play a spring game in the Dominican Republic on Mar. 7. Romero's extended absence almost ensures he'll begin the season at Triple-A when he does arrive to the U.S.
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Twins' Fernando Romero: Delayed by visa issues
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Romero isn't expected to arrive at Twins camp until next week while he looks to secure a travel visa, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Assuming Romero doesn't hit any further snags with his immigration paperwork and is able to make the move from the Dominican Republic next week, he shouldn't find himself too far behind the Twins' other healthy pitchers during spring training. The right-hander will be vying for a spot in the team's Opening Day bullpen.
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Twins' Fernando Romero: Called up by Twins
Rotowire
Romero was recalled by the Twins on Tuesday.
Romero received sporadic opportunities with the Twins early in the season but has been in the minors since mid-June. He's recorded a 7.88 ERA and 2.12 WHIP in eight innings in the majors but posted a more respectable 4.37 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 57.2 innings for Triple-A Rochester.
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Twins' Fernando Romero: Activated off injured list
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Romero (back) was activated off the minor-league injured list Friday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
Romero landed on the IL on June 21 with a lower-back strain but is able to rejoin Triple-A Rochester after a few weeks on the shelf. The 24-year-old has a 4.66 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 28:10 K:BB over 29 innings with the Red Wings this season.
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Twins' Fernando Romero: Out with back injury
Rotowire
Romero was placed on the minor-league injured list Friday with a lower-back strain, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.
Romero was optioned to Triple-A Rochester last week after a one-day stint in the majors and apparently suffered the injury when he fired 1.1 scoreless innings Wednesday. The severity of the injury remains unclear, but the 24-year-old will be eligible to be activated next Thursday.
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Twins' Fernando Romero: Headed back to minors
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Romero was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Friday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.
After just one day back with the Twins, Romero finds himself returning to Triple-A Rochester. With the Twins leading 10-1 in the eighth inning Thursday, the 24-year-old got his chance to pitch but gave up two runs on two hits and two walks while failing to record an out. The Twins called up Zack Littell in a corresponding move in an effort to bolster their bullpen.
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Twins' Fernando Romero: Returns to majors
Rotowire
Romero was recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Thursday.
It's encouraging to see Romero back with the Twins, as he showed promise in his last stint in the majors, allowing four hits and no runs in five appearances with eight strikeouts at the beginning of May. Since then, he's been inconsistent with Triple-A Rochester, posting an ERA of 6.06 in 16.1 innings pitched, although he carries a 15:6 K:BB during that time. The 24-year-old will most likely be used in low-leverage situations and could find himself back in the minors if the Twins opt to bring back Adalberto Mejia (calf) once he's eligible to return.
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Twins' Fernando Romero: Returns to minors
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Romero was optioned to Triple-A Rochester after Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Tigers, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.
Romero, who didn't take the mound during either game of the twin bill, heads back to Rochester to make room for Willians Astudillo's return from a hamstring injury. The 24-year-old has a 5.63 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 8:3 K:BB over eight major-league innings this season.
The Twins recalled Romero from Triple-A Rochester ahead of Wednesday's game against the Astros.
Romero will be up with the big club for the second time this season after he previously made a two-inning appearance in relief over the weekend while serving as the Twins' 26th man in their doubleheader with the Orioles. Minnesota also recalled Kohl Stewart from Rochester to make the start Wednesday, but since it's unlikely he'll be asked to work deep into the contest, Romero could be called upon to cover a couple of innings out of the bullpen.
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Twins' Fernando Romero: Joining Twins for doubleheader
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Romero will be called up from Triple-A Rochester to serve as the 26th player in Saturday's doubleheader against the Orioles, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Romero had a chance to open the season with an impact role in Minnesota's bullpen, but was instead optioned to Triple-A at the end of spring training. The 24-year-old has a 4.32 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 11:2 K:BB over 8.1 innings to begin the season at Rochester.
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Twins' Fernando Romero: Optioned to Triple-A
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Romero was optioned to Triple-A Rochester, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Minnesota management talked about Romero all spring as in their plans as an impact reliever, but he had two poor spring outings in a row, leaving him with a 8.38 ERA. It could be a short stint in the minors, as he was one of the few relievers in camp with minor-league options. It will also be interesting to see if the Twins keep Romero in the bullpen in Rochester.
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Twins' Fernando Romero: Not viewed as closer
Rotowire
Romero will be used in a multi-inning role to begin the season and is unlikely to close games, MLB.com reports. "I don't know that we were viewing him as the back-end guy right at the outset," said chief baseball officer Derek Falvey.
Romero has had two poor outings in a row as he gave up four runs while retiring two batters with two walks Wednesday. His spring ERA rose to 8.38. It sounds like he'll still make the 25-man roster, but it's still possible he could begin the season in the minors. While he may not be the closer initially, he still has upside to take over the role later this season after the Twins moved him to the bullpen this spring.
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Twins' Fernando Romero: Struggles in Sunday's spring outing
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Romero gave up five runs (four earned) and did not retire a batter while giving up three walks and a hit in Sunday's spring training loss to Toronto. "It's a good outing to wipe clean, because I've really enjoyed the way he's thrown the ball," manager Rocco Baldelli told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Romero, who has been moved to the bullpen after working as a starter last season, had given up one earned run in nine innings before Sunday's clunker. It sounds like he'll be given a mulligan, but he may need to impress in his final spring outing. It sounds like the Twins plan to use him as a reliever in many different spots. He could be in the closer mix as well; Baldelli hasn't indicated whether he'll use a single stopper or a bullpen-by-committee approach.
