Liam Hendriks returns to the Minnesota Twins, the organization he first signed with in 2007. Paul Rutherford / Getty Images
Feb. 11, 2026Updated 11:03 pm EST
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Minnesota Twins are reuniting with reliever Liam Hendriks, according to multiple team sources.
Hendriks, who first signed with the organization in 2007 and pitched for the Twins from 2011-13, is returning on a minor-league deal with an invite to big-league camp.
The 37-year-old went 0-2 with a 6.59 ERA in 13 2/3 innings last season during an injury-plagued campaign for the Boston Red Sox as he returned from Tommy John surgery.
A starting pitcher with the Twins who eventually found success as a reliever after leaving the organization, Hendriks dealt with a nerve issue to start the 2025 season before he was sidelined by an abdominal issue in May. He continued to experience elbow issues later in 2025 that resulted in another surgery. On Sept. 29, the Red Sox announced Hendriks underwent “a successful right elbow ulnar nerve transposition with posterior interosseous nerve release.”
Hendriks, who converted 114 saves from 2019-22 for Oakland and the Chicago White Sox, potentially could offer Minnesota a late-inning option if he’s healthy. A Twins source said Wednesday Hendriks is “ready to go.”
Hendriks was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in January 2023. On May 29, 2023 — the same day Royce Lewis homered as he returned from a torn ACL — Hendriks pitched an inning for White Sox. Hendriks made five appearances in 2023 for the White Sox before suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament.
Hendriks made 30 major-league appearances for the Twins over his first three seasons, including 28 starts. He went 2-13 with a 6.06 ERA in 156 innings for the Twins.
A club source also said the Twins signed right-hander Julian Merryweather, who has a 4.72 ERA with 177 strikeouts in 158 1/3 big-league innings, on a minor-league deal with an invite to camp.
Feb 12, 2026
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