The Minnesota Twins are bringing back a familiar face, signing veteran reliever Liam Hendriks to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training.<\/p>\n
The deal reunites Hendriks with the franchise that gave him his start in professional baseball, as the 37-year-old looks to continue one of the most inspiring comeback stories in recent memory.<\/p>\n
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A Full-Circle Moment<\/p>\n
Hendriks was originally signed by Minnesota as a non-drafted free agent out of Perth, Australia, back in 2007, and he made his big league debut at Target Field on September 6, 2011.<\/p>\n
He spent parts of three seasons with the Twins as a starting pitcher but struggled to find his footing, posting a 6.06 ERA in 30 games<\/a> before the club designated him for assignment.<\/p>\n After bouncing around with the Blue Jays, Royals, and Athletics, Hendriks made the switch to the bullpen<\/a> and everything changed.<\/p>\n From 2019 to 2022, he became one of the best closers in baseball, earning three All-Star selections while pitching for Oakland and the Chicago White Sox.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Over that four-year stretch, he recorded 114 saves with a 2.26 ERA and averaged 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings.<\/p>\n For his career, Hendriks owns a 33-36 record with 116 saves and a 3.88 ERA<\/a> across 490 games.<\/p>\n Why Minnesota Made the Move<\/p>\n The Twins are coming off a rough 2025 campaign where they went 70-92<\/a> and finished fourth in the AL Central.<\/p>\n Minnesota dealt away several key players at the trade deadline last summer, and the bullpen remains an area with plenty of question marks heading into 2026.<\/p>\n Manager Derek Shelton acknowledged the team does not have a clear closer and needs more right-handed experience out of the pen.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n