Twins' Griffin Jax: Move to rotation not ruled out
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Twins bench coach Jayce Tingler indicated in a recent interview that the team is open to the possibility of moving Jax into the rotation, Mike Ferrin of MLB Network Radio reports.
Jax came up through the minors as a starting pitcher and made 14 starts for the Twins in 2021, posting a 6.10 ERA. He's since turned into a lockdown reliever, most recently collecting a 2.03 ERA and 95:15 K:BB over 71 innings this season. With a five-pitch mix and past starting experience, Jax would seem more equipped for a shift to the rotation than most relievers. The question is whether the uptick in stuff since his move to relief would translate back to a starting role.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Notches 10th save
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Jax yielded an unearned run and struck out one batter in one inning Friday. He earned a save in the extra-innings win over Boston.
Jax allowed the automatic runner to score after a pair of groundouts in the 12th inning but had no trouble finishing off the 4-2 victory. It was his second save over his last three appearances after not converting one since Aug. 5. Jhoan Duran threw a scoreless eighth inning while the game was tied 1-1. Jax has racked up 10 saves while posting an impressive 91:15 K:BB and 2.10 ERA through 68.2 innings this season.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Gets sixth save Sunday
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Jax allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in an 8-7 win over the Athletics in Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader.
Jax hadn't logged a save since May 10, but he received the opportunity to do so Sunday after Jhoan Duran closed out the matinee game. While the two relievers initially shared closing duties early in May, Duran has been the Twins' main closer for about a month while Jax has settled into a setup role. Jax has been excellent all year with a 2.30 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 43:8 K:BB with six saves, 12 holds and two blown saves over 31.1 innings.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Escapes with fifth save
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Jax gave up a run on two hits and a walk in the ninth inning Friday while striking out one, recording his fifth save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Blue Jays.
Jhoan Duran got the call in the eighth inning to face the top of Toronto's order, leaving the ninth for Jax, but Jax ran into trouble with two outs after a Bo Bichette single kicked off a Jays rally. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli has been using Duran as a relief ace rather than a pure closer and Duran has three saves and three holds in six appearances since coming off the IL in late April, but Jax hasn't been the sole beneficiary of the available opportunities -- Caleb Thielbar and Cole Sands have also picked up saves since Duran's season debut. Brock Stewart (shoulder) could also end up in that mix once he gets healthy. Jax has a 3.06 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 23:7 K:BB through 17.2 innings on the season, and while Duran should see the majority of the save chances for the Twins, his main understudy could creep into the low double digits in saves by the time the season is done.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Duran returns from IL
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Jax will likely shift into a setup role since the Twins reinstated Jhoan Duran (oblique) from the 15-day injured list Tuesday.
Jax pitched well as the fill-in closer to begin the season with four saves, a 2.25 ERA and 17:4 K:BB across 12 innings, but it appears his time in the role is now up. The right-hander should still see plenty of high-leverage opportunities as a setup man, but his fantasy utility will likely be minimal while Duran is healthy.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Notches another save
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Jax pitched a perfect ninth inning and struck out one to pick up his third save of the season Wednesday against the White Sox.
Jax seems to have taken hold of the closing job in place of Jhoan Duran, who's in the midst of a rehab assignment after suffering an oblique injury late in camp. Jax has twirled back-to-back perfect innings for a pair of saves and owns a 2.70 ERA with a 14:3 K:BB over 11 appearances (10 innings), but his run in the ninth inning will likely come to an end soon with Duran nearing activation.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Picks up save No. 2
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Jax pitched a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts against the Tigers on Saturday en route to his second save of the season.
Called upon to protect a one-run lead, Jax was nails Saturday, retiring the side in order on 12 pitches. He reached as high as 96.9 mph on his fastball and earned his first save since Opening Day. While Jax appears to be first in line for save chances right now, he doesn't seem to have much of a window with Jhoan Duran (oblique) closing in on a rehab assignment. Duran threw 21 pitches in live batting practice Friday.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Used in eighth inning
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Jax threw a scoreless eighth inning in Wednesday's win at Milwaukee while Steven Okert pitched a scoreless ninth inning. Okert would have be in line for a save had the Twins not scored in the top of the ninth inning. "At that point in the game, Okert with the experience was probably the answer," manager Rocco Baldelli told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Jax, who has Minnesota's only save with Jhoan Duran on the injured list, was used in the eighth inning against the heart of the Brewers' lineup. Jax is still likely to be the first option and get the most save chances with Duran out, but Wednesday's game shows that Baldelli may play matchups with his bullpen regardless of the save statistic.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Records first save
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Jax threw a scoreless inning with a walk and strikeout to record the save in Thursday's Opening Day win at Kansas City.
With Jhoan Duran (oblique) on the injured list and expected to miss several weeks, it was Jax who got the call in the ninth inning to protect a three-run lead. Brock Stewart was used in the eighth inning, so it looks like Jax will be the primary closer with Duran out. However, the Twins could mix and match the two in save situations.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Picks up first save
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Jax picked up the save Wednesday against the Brewers, striking out one over one scoreless inning.
Jax entered the game in the ninth inning and went 1-2-3 through the Brewers' lineup to nail down his first save of the season. The right-hander, who'd blown all four of his save opportunities this season coming in, threw a sweeper on seven of his 11 pitches to end the game. He has not allowed a run since May 19 against the Angels, registering 12 strikeouts with no walks over that stretch (9.2 innings).
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Continues recent turnaround
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Jax (3-6) earned the win in Thursday's 7-6 win over the Guardians. He didn't allow a hit or walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning.
Jax struggled with an 8.18 ERA and three blown saves between April 21 to May 19. He's since thrown five scoreless innings in his last five appearances with an 8:0 K:BB ratio, so it looks like he's back to being a reliable setup man.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Records 10th hold
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Jax threw a scoreless inning while striking out one batter over two-thirds of an inning in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Padres to earn his 10th hold.
Jax has become a key setup man after transitioning from being a starting pitcher last season. He's improved both his average fastball velocity (95.3 mph from 92.7 mph last season) and strikeout rate (9.6 K/9 from 7.1 K/9 last season). Despite Minnesota's struggles to find a steady closer at times, Jax hasn't been used at the end of games, however.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Earns second win
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Jax (2-0) picked up the win Saturday against the Athletics, striking out two while allowing one hit across 1.2 scoreless innings.
Jax entered a scoreless tie with one out in the sixth inning and completed the frame without allowing a baserunner. The Twins went ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the inning, and Jax remained on the mound for the seventh, allowing just a two-out double. He now owns a 1.35 ERA in 13.1 innings of relief this season, a far cry from the 6.37 ERA he posted as primarily a starter last year.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Picks up first career save
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Jax earned the save, tossing three scoreless innings and striking out two while allowing two hits, a walk and a hit batsman in a 7-1 win over Detroit.
Jax got the unconventional save by tossing three innings in a lopsided affair. After making 14 starts last year, the righty has pitched exclusively in relief for the Twins early in 2022. Thursday's three-inning save was his longest appearance of the season and first save at any level in professional baseball. He's allowed two runs and has 11:3 K:BB in nine innings of work on the campaign.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Returns to big club
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The Twins recalled Jax from Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday.
Jax had been preparing for a starting role for St. Paul after he was optioned to the affiliate Thursday, but his turn in the rotation never came up before he was called back up to Minnesota. He's expected to serve as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen while he's up with the Twins.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Optioned to Triple-A
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The Twins optioned Jax to Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Jax was moved to the bullpen this spring and was competing for a middle-relief role, but he ultimately fell short in his bid for the Opening Day roster. The Twins could consider moving Jax back to a starting role as he heads to St. Paul.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Moving to bullpen
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Jax will move to the bullpen and work in a relief role this season, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Jax will get ready for one-to-three-inning assignments, two or three times a week, according to manager Rocco Baldelli.
Jax finished his first big-league season with a 6.37 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 65:29 K:BB across 82 innings. He was a starter in 14 of 18 outings. He'll try to win a role in middle relief. Jax and Lewis Thorpe moving to the bullpen could be a sign the Twins are set to bring in more veteran starting pitchers or are ready to have younger talent contend for rotation roles.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Allows four runs in loss
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Jax (3-5) allowed four runs on six hits while striking out two over five innings as he took the loss against the Blue Jays on Sunday.
Jax was punished by the long ball Sunday. He allowed two runners on in the second before serving up a three-run blast to Danny Jansen to give the Blue Jays a 3-1 lead. George Springer later added a home run of his own after hitting a solo shot against Jax in the fifth. Jax would end up finishing the frame before calling it a day at 83 pitches. He was finding the strike zone a lot, as he threw 61 strikes and didn't walk anybody but was hurt by a few big mistakes. The 26-year-old hasn't won a game since Aug. 10 and sports an ugly 6.78 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 62:27 K:BB over 77 innings this season. He's projected to take the hill one more time in Kansas City next weekend.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Bested by Cleveland
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Jax (3-4) allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits and a walk over 4.2 innings to take the loss Wednesday against Cleveland. He also had three strikeouts.
Jax kept Cleveland off the board until the fourth inning when Bobby Bradley broke a scoreless deadlock on a run-scoring double. Cleveland tacked on four more runs in the following frame, the big blast coming on Oscar Mercado's three-run homer. Jax has been throttled to the tune of a 9.36 ERA over his last five starts, yielding eight home runs in that stretch.
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Twins' Griffin Jax: Allows four runs in no-decision
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Jax allowed four unearned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four across six innings in the loss to the Royals on Friday. He did not factor in the decision.
Jax surrendered a three-run home run to Andrew Benintendi in the first inning. He gave up a fourth run in the fourth frame on a Michael Taylor double. The 26-year-old has allowed 23 earned runs in his last four outings. On the season, he has a 6.72 ERA and 1.37 WHIP with 51 strikeouts in 64.1 innings.
