The Twins announced they’ve granted releases to infielder Gio Urshela and reliever Andrew Chafin. Both players were in camp on minor league deals and had been informed they wouldn’t make the Opening Day roster. Minnesota also granted Liam Hendriks his release from a minor league contract this morning.
As MLBTR’s Steve Adams noted this week, Chafin and Hendriks were among more than two dozen veteran players whose deals contained an automatic opt-out opportunity under the collective bargaining agreement. Infielder Orlando Arcia also fits that bill, though the Twins haven’t announced whether he’ll trigger his own out. Urshela didn’t have an automatic opt-out under the CBA, but Dan Hayes of The Athletic suggests his camp negotiated one into his deal.
Urshela was an above-average everyday player for the Twins back in 2022. He hasn’t had the same level of success since Minnesota traded him to the Angels at the end of that season. Urshela suffered a pelvic fracture in ’23 and has been a light-hitting utility player over the past two years. He returned to the Twins on an offseason minor league contract but hit only .208 with one extra-base knock (a double) in 24 at-bats.
Chafin, a 35-year-old southpaw, pitched six innings of two-run ball. He struck out five while walking three. Statcast had Chafin’s average fastball in the 86 mph range, four ticks below last year’s regular season mark. It’s common for pitchers to work with diminished velocity early in camp as they build arm strength, but it’s hardly a surprise the Twins opted not to carry him in the Opening Day bullpen. Lefties Taylor Rogers, Kody Funderburk and Anthony Banda are all likely to begin the year in Derek Shelton’s relief corps.
Releasing Hendriks and Chafin the same day makes me sick to my stomach. This 2026 Twins’ bullpen is going to be historically bad.
Even though he’s going gray, Andrew Chafin is a lights out lefty. Some team’s going to pick him up, aren’t they?
I think that was going to be inevitable with or without these washed up guys. Chafin’s fastball only 86 mph… he’d get hammered. Hendriks hasn’t been a quality pitcher for years, his last decent season was 2022. Face it, these guys are old in baseball years and at the end of their road.
I would assume Arcia will make the opening day roster and probably Dan Altavilla and/or Matt Bowman.
Dan was actually pretty solid in Chicago. Got a few saves with a sub 3 ERA and in 30 games. Question is can he do it for a whole season?
Boneheaded moves
I can see Chafin catching on with another team. He still got some left in the tank.
Not with an 86 mph fastball he doesn’t. That’s why they dumped him.
I’m not shocked Hendriks and Chafin are cooked, I’m shocked that the twins thought these guys would round out the bullpen with very few backup options.
There’s not a single closer/setup quality guy on this roster at the moment
Someone will be Chafin to sign him.
Really surprised at both of these. Urshela is a serviceable player and great clubhouse guy, while Chafin is an experienced, veteran reliever with (minimal) closing experience. Both will 100% be locked up.
Love Anthony Banda on that relief corps. Dodgers turned him from a waiver-claim journeyman to a decent back-end lefty.
Funderburk is putrid
Urshela and Arcia have similar numbers so i wonder if Arcia makes the team or if he gets cut next.
If the LOOGY still existed in MLB the Twins might have kept Chafin. Even with an 86 MPH fastball he probably could have survived facing only lefty hitters. RH hitters will feast on that all day