One week after the Twins signed reliever Josh Staumont, their lone free agent signing this winter, they added another reliever to the organization Thursday.
The Twins claimed righthander Ryan Jensen off waivers from the Miami Marlins after he was designated for assignment on Dec. 20. Jensen, 26, has yet to make his MLB debut, but he spent the 2023 season on the 40-man roster for the Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners.
Jensen posted a 5.32 ERA in 64 1/3 innings at Class AA and AAA last year with 78 strikeouts and 54 walks, his first season shifting to the bullpen since he was taken with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft.
The Cubs initially added Jensen to their 40-man roster last offseason to protect him from the annual Rule 5 Draft. He is a power pitcher with a fastball that can run up near 97 mph, but walks have been a weakness throughout his minor league career. His background as a starting pitcher gives the Twins more Class AAA depth for a multi-inning reliever.
The Twins are Jensen’s third organization since last season ended. Seattle claimed Jensen off waivers last August and he posted a 3.18 ERA in 11 1/3 innings at Class AAA. The Mariners designated him for assignment and the Marlins claimed him off waivers.
The Marlins, who are higher in the waiver order than the Twins because it is based on last season’s records, designated him for assignment after a trade last month.
The Twins have 38 players on their 40-man roster.