KANSAS CITY – Jeff Hoffman joined his new team on Tuesday, a day after the Blue Jays traded him to the Twins, ready to take on whatever role he’s asked to perform.
Which is good, because it may not be just one.
Hoffman, who has closed but wasn’t pitching the ninth for Toronto before the deal, will likely pitch in high-leverage situations before the ninth inning for Minnesota, with Yoendrys Gomez continuing to serve as the primary closer. But he certainly could be called on in some save situations.
“He’s a high-leverage option,” said manager Derek Shelton. “I think it’s been very clear that Gomez and [Andrew] Morris have moved themselves into those two options. I think we’re adding a guy that can pitch in that role also. My expectation is Gomez would still close in the days that he’s available.”
But that last part is key. The Twins have pushed both Gomez and Morris hard, as at times they’ve been the only consistently reliable options at the back of their bullpen. With the additions of not only Hoffman but also veteran lefty A.J. Minter from the Mets, the Twins will not have to use those two as often.
Hoffman also brings a different dimension to the Minnesota relief corps, one it was previously lacking. He provides a level of swing-and-miss, an ability to get a strikeout, that was not previously present in the group.
That’s been especially true in recent months, as Hoffman has rebounded from an early-season slump to be one of the game’s most dominant relievers since about the beginning of June.
“We started out the season with some tough luck,” he said. “I was giving up a lot of base hits, had a lot of bad BABIP luck. But doubling down on my strengths, we're throwing the slider more. I think it's my best pitch and kind of letting that take the driver's seat and letting the other complement the slider and I think that's the best position those other pitches can be in as well.”
To make room on the active roster for Hoffman, the Twins optioned rookie lefty Kendry Rojas to Triple-A St. Paul. Over his next two outings, Rojas will be stretched out to about 65 pitches, after which the club will determine a course of action for him. It’s most likely he will either be used on their “four by four” program, pitching about four innings or 60-65 pitches every four days, or stretched further out as a starter, but that decision doesn’t need to be made just yet.
“He needs to pitch,” Shelton said. “We like the stuff. I think he’s going to be a really good Major League pitcher. I can’t tell you what the role is [in the long term]. I don’t know if he’s going to be a starter or he’s going to be a reliever. He’s going to go down there and get more innings.”