Marco Raya’s Bullpen Transition Facing a Critical Hurdle

The Minnesota Twins have built a reputation for successfully transitioning young starters into high-impact relievers. Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, and Louis Varland all found another gear once they moved to the bullpen, turning raw stuff into late-inning weapons. That path has long felt like the most logical outcome for Marco Raya.

So far, it has not been nearly as smooth. Raya’s move to relief did not come as a surprise. Having never thrown more than 97 2/3 innings in a season and dealing with workload limitations throughout his development, the writing had been on the wall.

“I had an idea,” Raya said this spring. “I was open to it. … When they advised me I was moving to the ‘pen, I said, ‘Let’s run with it.’”

The shift made sense on paper. Raya has always missed bats, carrying a 9.6 K/9 rate through the minors, backed by a lively fastball and sharp, high-spin breaking stuff that consistently challenged hitters more experienced than him. The hope was simple. Shorter outings, more aggression, and fewer opportunities for his control to derail him.

But the transition has exposed the same issues that slowed his climb as a starter. Control remains the biggest obstacle. Raya walked 4.1 batters per nine innings in the minors, and instead of improving in relief, that number ticked up. The expectation that his arsenal would play better in shorter bursts has only partially materialized.

There were flashes late last season. After a rocky bullpen debut on July 25 and a few more starts, Raya officially moved into a full-time relief role on August 21. He posted a 4.90 ERA over his final 18 1/3 innings, a modest step forward from the 6.27 ERA he carried across his previous 80 1/3 innings. Even then, the progress felt more incremental than transformational.

The adjustment to relief goes beyond just pitching fewer innings. It requires a different mindset, quicker preparation, and the ability to flush bad outings almost immediately.

“You get one or two minutes and just come in and be ready when you step on that rubber,” Raya said. “I’ve been working on that and getting that intensity a little higher. … Just routines and body movements on the mound, all the detail work.”

That learning curve has followed him into 2026. Through his first eight appearances with Triple-A St. Paul, Raya has allowed runs in half of them. One outing in particular underscored how volatile things can be. On April 12, he recorded just one out while giving up six earned runs. It is the kind of blowup that tests a reliever’s ability to reset, something Raya is still learning.

The Twins have not shied away from using him in different roles. Three of his outings have extended beyond one inning, suggesting the organization still sees some flexibility in how he can be deployed. There are also encouraging signs beneath the surface. Raya is striking out hitters at a career-best 11.6 per nine innings.

But the problems are just as loud. He is walking 5.8 batters per nine and allowing 12.5 hits per nine, a combination that leaves little margin for error, no matter the role.

That inconsistency mirrors what happened during his first exposure to Triple-A last season. After rising steadily through the system and remaining a fixture in prospect rankings, Raya hit a wall. Walks piled up, outings dragged on, and for the first time in his professional career, he looked overwhelmed rather than overpowering.

Context matters. Raya reached Triple-A at just 22 years old after an aggressive promotion schedule. Struggles at that level are not uncommon, especially for pitchers still refining command. But they do shift the timeline from projection to proof.

The bullpen was supposed to simplify things. Instead, it has reinforced the same question that has followed Raya throughout his career: Can he throw enough strikes for his stuff to matter?

There are still reasons for optimism. Raya has said he likes how his body responds to more frequent usage, and he has leaned on conversations with experienced relievers to better understand the role. The raw ingredients remain intact, and there were glimpses of that upside during spring action.

But until the control stabilizes, the transition that once looked like a fast track to impact is starting to feel more like another developmental hurdle. For now, Raya is still searching for the version of himself that the bullpen was supposed to unlock.

Can Raya be successful in the bullpen? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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