Twins Shuffle Bullpen: Joey Wentz DFA’d, Anthony Misiewicz Joins the Mix

[Cody Christie]

 

The Minnesota Twins made a bullpen move on Wednesday, designating left-hander Joey Wentz for assignment and selecting the contract of fellow southpaw Anthony Misiewicz from Triple-A St. Paul.

Wentz, 27, was a waiver claim last month from Pittsburgh but struggled mightily during his brief tenure with the Twins. He appeared in six games and allowed runs in five of them, ultimately compiling a 15.75 ERA over just eight innings. He served mostly in low-leverage situations, often coming in as a long reliever or mop-up man, and the results made it clear that a change was needed.

Once a top prospect in the Braves organization, Wentz was traded to Detroit in the 2019 Shane Greene deal. He debuted with the Tigers but has yet to establish himself in the big leagues. Over parts of four MLB seasons, he’s amassed 239 2/3 innings with a 5.75 ERA, a 20.6% strikeout rate, and a walk rate just over 10%. Issues with home runs (1.50 per nine innings) and stranding baserunners have continued to plague him (62.5 LOB% in 2025). For his career, he has accumulated a -1.6 WAR, so he might be running out of big-league opportunities. 

Because Wentz is out of minor league options, Minnesota couldn’t send him down without exposing him to waivers. If no team claims him within the waiver period, the Twins could outright him to Triple-A and try to work on his mechanics in a lower-pressure setting. A resolution will likely come within the next week.

 Stepping into his roster spot is 30-year-old Misiewicz , who joined the Twins on a minor league deal this offseason. Pitching out of the Saints’ bullpen, Misiewicz posted a 4.02 ERA while notching eight saves and a hold. His 24.2% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate reflect solid command, and aside from one tough outing in late June (5 ER in 1 IP), he’s been steady including two clean appearances since then.

Misiewicz brings plenty of major league experience, having previously pitched for five teams: the Mariners, Royals, Diamondbacks, Tigers, and Yankees. Over 115 2/3 big-league innings, he owns a 4.67 ERA with a 22.8% strikeout rate and 7.6% walk rate. With a fastball averaging around 91.6 mph, a cutter in the high 80s, and a looping curveball, he’s relied more on sequencing and location than overpowering stuff.

Like Wentz, Misiewicz is also out of minor league options, so he’ll need to perform if he hopes to stick on the big-league roster. He has three years of MLB service time, meaning the Twins could retain him beyond this season, but that will depend on how well he holds up in the big leagues.

As the trade deadline approaches and the Twins keep looking for consistent arms to support their late-inning crew, Misiewicz could get a real opportunity to carve out a role, but he’ll need to prove himself quickly.

 

 

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[DJL44]

Misiewicz is less interesting than Funderburk. This does give Travis Adams an opportunity to stick around after Zebby Matthews returns.

[mikelink45]

This looks like another DFA to me.  That ERA for an AAA reliever is not promising.  

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, mikelink45 said:

This looks like another DFA to me.  That ERA for an AAA reliever is not promising.  

The bullpen could look different in 2 weeks.

[purplesoldier4u]

Why not a guy like John Klein? I know they would prefer a lefty, but the fans and team would prefer someone who can get people out. You cannot possibly tell me that Misiewicz was the only viable option!

[Sjoski]

The Twins are doing their best to redefine the meaning of DFA'd

 

DFA’d – Didn’t Fix Anything Dump

[Doctor Wu]

Looks like an upgrade from Wentz, but hardly another impact move. That said, he could turn into a useful bullpen piece, especially if we end up trading an arm or two later this month. 

[dxpavelka]

14 hours ago, purplesoldier4u said:

You cannot possibly tell me that Misiewicz was the only viable option!

Sure they can.  You don't have to buy it but that's your call.

[DocBauer]

Regrettably, I've lost faith in Funderburk. He's got to be better than Wentz at this time. His numbers are skewed a bit from one really bad outing. And there really wasn't much else to choose from at this time.

I'm actually intrigued by Wentz if he sticks around at AAA. He's not old, he's got decent velocity, and he wasn't actually doing terrible out of the Pirates pen when released. I'd say there's at least a small chance the Twins might turn him in to something.