Twins Make Simeon Woods Richardson Decision After Injury News

Woods Richardson was recently removed from Minnesota's starting rotation after a rough start to his 2026 campaign. In his nine starts this season, Woods Richardson posted a 7.71 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched.

However, the 25-year-old has improved since being moved into the bullpen. In his two bullpen appearances, he has pitched three scoreless innings with two hits, two walks, and two strikeouts.

Woods Richardson uses a four pitch mix while heavily leaning on his four-seam fastball, which he throws 43% of the time coming into his start against Chicago. He mixes in a splitter and slider as his secondary pitches, and occasionally throws a curveball. The issue with relying on his fastball is his low velocity, the pitch normally sits at 92.6 miles per hour, which is below the major league average of 96. He also does not induce a lot of swing and miss, having a very poor 17.7% whiff rate so far this season.

While the right-hander has not been excellent in his major league career, this season has been an outliner. In his previous two seasons in the big leagues, Woods Richardson has pitched effectively, pitching to a low four ERA in 244 1/3 innings with 224 strikeouts. The Twins hope that he will be able to get back to form after a quick trip to the bullpen.

The Twins currently sit third in the American League Central division, holding a 27-29 record. The team had a fire sale at the 2025 trade deadline, and were not expected to be a competitive team coming into this season. But they have kept up in a weak American League and hold the third Wild Card spot after winning seven of their last ten games.

Simeon Woods Richardson makes his return to the rotation today in the series finale against the White Sox.