Twins DFA Joey Wentz after awful month, call up veteran lefty

The Twins have designated left-handed reliever Joey Wentz for assignment and replaced him with veteran lefty Anthony Misiewicz, they announced on Wednesday.

Wentz, who was claimed off waivers just under a month ago, had an ugly and forgettable stint in a Twins uniform. Pitching exclusively in low-leverage spots, he allowed 17 hits, nine walks, and 14 earned runs in eight innings pitched over six appearances. That's a 15.75 ERA and 3.25 WHIP.

On multiple occasions in June, Wentz came into a game the Twins were already losing by a lot and only made the final scoreline worse. On Tuesday night against the Cubs, he got the ninth inning with the Twins up 8-0 and proceeded to allow a couple hits, including a solo home run by 40-year-old Justin Turner, who has a sub-.600 OPS this year. That would be Wentz's final appearance with Minnesota.

Replacing him is Misiewicz, who doesn't have great numbers but also has an extremely low bar to clear to be an upgrade from Wentz. Misiewicz, 30, signed a minor-league deal with the Twins this offseason and has a 4.02 ERA in 31.1 innings for Triple-A St. Paul. He has struck out 29, walked 10, and allowed five home runs for the Saints this season.

When Misiewicz makes his Twins debut, it'll be his first time pitching in the majors this season. He's thrown 115.2 innings for five teams over the past five years, most of those coming with the Mariners in 2020-22. Misiewicz has a career 4.67 MLB ERA with 114 strikeouts and 38 walks. He also has a career 4.43 ERA in over 700 innings in the minor leagues.

Misiewicz will step into Wentz's role as a low-leverage arm for Rocco Baldelli. Here's what the Twins' bullpen currently looks like, ordered approximately by leverage and importance:

• Jhoan Duran
• Griffin Jax
• Louis Varland
• Brock Stewart
• Danny Coulombe (LHP)
• Cole Sands
• Justin Topa
• Anthony Misiewicz (LHP)