The Twins didn’t exactly uncover Jack Anderson by accident. They got a long look at him the hard way on April 14, when he threw three innings against them, punched out four, and allowed one run across 11 batters.
A few months later, Minnesota brought him in on July 11, five days after Boston designated him for assignment. Twelve days after that, Anderson had his first career save.
That sequence has given the Twins a pretty clear read on what he can do, and so far the answer has been encouraging. Anderson has already chipped in to a bullpen that has been better than average in July, helping Minnesota post the seventh-best relief unit in the month alongside New York (AL) and Baltimore.
The overall group has gotten useful work from Kody Funderburk (0.2 fWAR), Taylor Rogers (0.2), Yoendrys Gómez (0.2), Travis Adams (0.2), Andrew Morris (0.2), and Tommy Nance (0.1). But Anderson has been part of that rise too, putting up 0.2 fWAR in 4 1/3 innings.
His path to Minnesota has been a winding one. Since 2024, Anderson has bounced between Detroit’s, Boston’s, and Minnesota’s Triple-A affiliates. He got his first big league chance with the Red Sox in mid-April and turned in a 3.38 ERA and 3.99 FIP over eight innings, including that three-inning outing against the Twins.
Boston cut him loose on July 6, and Minnesota stepped in. The 26-year-old right-hander joined the Twins’ bullpen two weeks later and picked up that first career save in his second appearance.
Five days after that, the Twins sent him to Triple-A St. Paul, then brought him right back two days later when Cole Sands went on the 15-day IL with a right elbow strain.
The shuttling hasn’t slowed Anderson down. In 16 batters faced with Minnesota, he has posted a 0.00 ERA, a 1.04 FIP, and a 37.5% strikeout rate.
He’s leaned heavily on his offspeed and breaking stuff since arriving, using his splitter and slider 50% of the time combined and his sweeper 23.2% of the time. That makes sense given the results: all three pitches are plus offerings that generate strong whiff and chase numbers.
Anderson still throws his four-seamer, but not nearly as often. It’s been used 26.8% of the time, and with the pitch sitting at 92.1 MPH and showing a below-average movement profile, he’s been smart to lean on the rest of his arsenal instead.
In practical terms, Anderson has been the kind of reliever the Twins thought Eric Orze might become: a softer-throwing righty who can beat hitters from either side with the splitter, then go after righties with the slider and sweeper. That said, his stay in the majors may not be permanent.
He could be back in Triple-A by the end of the week, or if and when Minnesota adds another reliever. Or relievers?
Plz, Jeremy Zoll?
For now, though, Anderson has done enough to keep forcing the issue. With Gómez, Morris, and Nance leaving the bullpen a little unsettled, he’s positioned himself as another possible high-leverage option, and maybe even another margin-of-the-roster success story for Minnesota.
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Minter has already made 20 appearances this season and is only recently back after surgery, which gives the Twins a useful reliever with some uncertainty still attached. The return package also reflects where the organization is in the calendar, moving two prospects whose recent playing time has been limited by injury and turning them into a bullpen piece that could matter right away as the deadline pressure keeps building. [Read more 🡒]
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Twins Bullpen Buzz Suddenly Comes With A Costly Family Twist
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The catch is the price tag, and it is not just about prospects. Minnesota would be taking on a contract that runs well beyond this season, with significant money attached in each of the next two years and a possible vesting option down the road. So the Twins are weighing more than bullpen help here, because a move that looks sensible on the mound could also shape how much flexibility they have to build the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]