Twins Release Matt Canterino. What’s Next for the Once-Promising Prospect?

The Minnesota Twins officially released right-handed pitcher Matt Canterino on Apr. 22, 2025, following his designation for assignment after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in mid-March of Spring Training. 

Because injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers, Minnesota had to either trade or release Canterino after the DFA. The Twins opted to cut him loose, with a trade deemed unlikely based on the uncertainty of Canterino's prognosis. Canterino will become a free agent, with the right to sign anywhere. However, if both sides are amenable, Minnesota could circle back with a two-year minor-league offer. He was out of minor-league options, and injuries caused him to fall out of the team’s long-term plans. 

Once one of the organization’s most highly regarded arms, the Rice University product once had a mid-90s fastball and a plus slider, but a litany of injuries has cost him nearly every season of his pro career. Now, at age 27 (turning 28) this December, he embarks on free agency, looking to reestablish his health and promise.

Midway through spring training, Canterino underwent surgery to “tighten” ligaments in his right throwing shoulder, effectively ending his 2025 campaign before it began. The Twins announced the procedure on March 16th, revealing that the rotator cuff strain from camp required a formal surgical repair. This was following earlier Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him for all of 2023. 

A Once-Promising Arm
A second-round pick (54th overall) by Minnesota in the 2019 MLB Draft, Canterino was lauded for his power arsenal and pitchability. He dazzled in college, with a fastball that sat in the mid-90s and a tight, wipeout slider. Scouts projected this arsenal would allow him to become a mid-rotation starter or high-leverage bullpen arm at the major-league level.

Between 2020 and 2024, Canterino consistently appeared in the top half of Baseball America’s Twins top-30 prospect rankings, peeking inside the top 15 midseason list before being shelved by injuries. Even after going unranked in the 2024 midseason update due to inactivity, evaluators still recognized his upside, lamenting that he’d only thrown 85 (dominant) innings since being drafted.

There Is No Such Thing As a Pitching Prospect (TINSTAAPP)
Right elbow inflammation derailed Canterino’s professional path early in 2021, culminating in Tommy John surgery in August 2022, after a dominant Double-A stint. He missed the remainder of 2022 and all of 2023 recuperating from the procedure.

In 2024, just as hopes rose for his return, Canterino suffered a right rotator cuff strain during spring training, prompting another IL stay that kept him out for the entire season.

Despite the interruptions, Canterino’s flashes were remarkable. Across 85 career minor-league innings, he posted a sparkling 1.48 ERA with a 39.1% strikeout rate, illustrating his ability to miss bats and generate weak contact when healthy. He pitched exclusively as a starter early on, then began to be evaluated as a potential bullpen weapon. His repertoire lends itself to shorter bursts of high-impact potential. Now, the Twins are left wondering what could have been.

What’s Next: Free Agency and Options
When Canterino clears waivers, he immediately becomes a free agent, free to field offers from any organization. For the Twins, there’s precedent for bringing back released pitchers on minor-league deals, and they could offer a two-year contract designed to let him fully rehab under club supervision.

Health remains the paramount question. If he recovers well from this latest setback, there might be time for one more team to take a shot at him and bet on his raw stuff. Come the 2026 season, a healthy, effective Canterino could be a difference-maker for a big-league staff looking for affordable, controllable pitching.

Canterino’s release marks the end of one chapter, where unrelenting injuries hampered a storied prospect career. However, one ending is another beginning in which he controls his path. It's possible he'll elect to move on to the next chapter, beyond his playing career, but should he attempt yet another comeback, the task is straightforward: stay healthy, showcase that high-leverage arsenal, and reignite the potential that once made him one of Minnesota’s brightest pitching prospects.

Should the Twins try to re-sign Canterino to a two-year minor league deal? Will he make it to the big leagues with another organization? Leave a comment and start the discussion. 

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