The Twins designated righty P.J. Walters for assignment to open a roster spot for Mike Pelfrey, tweets Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Pelfrey had been on the DL with a back strain.
Walters, 28, was drafted by the Cardinals in the 11th round in 2006, a round that also produced Mat Latos. He was traded to the Blue Jays in 2011 as part of the Colby Rasmus deal, and later joined the Twins as a free agent. Walters made eight starts for the Twins this year, posting a 5.95 ERA, 5.0 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, 1.14 HR/9, and 39.7% groundball rate in 39 1/3 innings. He was better at Triple-A, with a 3.31 ERA in nine starts.
Prior to the 2011 season, Baseball America noted Walters' plus change-up helps him mask average velocity. At that time, they projected him for a long relief/swingman role.
