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Randy Dobnak broke the internet on Tuesday morning with a simple announcement of, "I'm back." After a dominant run at Triple-A, in which he owns a 2.26 ERA across his past 10 starts, the former postseason starter is returning to the big leagues. It was an absence of more than 1,000 days. Dobnak has faced serious adversity, needing to deal with a pair of ruptured tendons in a finger on his throwing hand. After making a tweak to his changeup this offseason, his arsenal has looked better than ever.
Although Dobnak is in the penultimate year of a $9.25 million multi-year deal from the Twins, he is not currently on the 40-man roster.
UPDATE: With the Twins trading for Trevor Richards Tuesday afternoon, they DFA'd Josh Staumont. Richards won't make the game against the Mets, so Dobnak will assume that roster spot. Kirilloff was also moved injured lists on Tuesday.
In order to make room for him there, Minnesota has shifted Alex Kirilloff to the 60-day injured list. Kirilloff, who came down with a back injury following his demotion to Triple-A St. Paul, has already missed 42 days. It remains to be seen when he will return for Minnesota this season, if at all.
Prior to his injury, Kirilloff has struggled to substantiate himself as either a corner outfielder or first baseman. With the play provided by Carlos Santana, Matt Wallner, and Trevor Larnach, it's difficult to see a straightforward path for him to return at all. Once he is finally healthy, the assumption should be that a length rehab assignment at Triple-A will follow.
In order to make room for Dobnak on the 26-man roster, the Twins will place Brock Stewart back on the injured list. He originally was placed on the shelf following a May 1 outing. Dealing with what was described as minor elbow tendonitis, he then was unseen until July 24. Stewart allowed just a single run in his first 13 appearances (13 1/3 innings), but has since allowed eight in three appearances spanning just 2 1/3 innings. His ERA jumped from 0.68 to 5.17 on the season.
The timelines for when Stewart was set to return seemed murky. All of a sudden he was then throwing bullpens and ramping up to get back for Rocco Baldelli's bullpen. Looking at his velocity during the past three outings though, it's beyond clear that the high-leverage arm isn't right. For a guy who has had a litany of arm issues over the course of his career, it's concerning to say the least.
Dobnak will presumably work out of the bullpen in the short term. David Festa is set to start on Tuesday night against the New York Mets, and having a bulk guy as a contingency plan makes a good amount of sense. Time is running out for the Twins to add other arms prior to the 5pm trade deadline on June 30, but for now, another reinforcement from the farm is being called upon.
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