Twins Place Dobnak on Outright Waivers

Dobnak, currently on the 60-day IL, will likely remain in the organization

Sources confirmed to Access Twins and Darren Wolfson of KSTP that the Minnesota Twins have placed right-handed pitcher Randy Dobnak on outright waivers.

Darren Wolfson @DWolfsonKSTP

Co-scoopage with @Brandon_Warne: #MNTwins place pitcher Randy Dobnak on outright waivers.

From a procedure standpoint, Dobnak is on the 60-day injured list with a finger issue that has cost him the better part of the last two seasons. The 27-year-old righty has been rehabbing the injury with two starts with the FCL Twins, one start with Low-A Fort Myers and now five appearances (zero starts) with the Triple-A St. Paul Saints.

Dobnak’s rehab started with the FCL Twins on Aug. 16, so with a 30-day rehab window coming to pass here in the next day or so, it was decision time for the Twins — who may be activating a number of players off the 60-day injured list in the days to come.

Players on the 60-day IL are granted a 40-man roster exemption, but once activated, they are reinstated to the roster and a corresponding move is made.

To that end, Dobnak has not fared well with the Saints. In five appearances he has a 9.35 ERA and opposing batters have hit .314/.457/.714 against him. He has more walks (eight) than strikeouts (seven).

It’s all a small sample size, but just a part of the calculus in play here.

What this means is that while fans might think this could be the precursor to some sort of move — either promoting Matt Wallner or activating a player like Ryan Jeffers from the 60-day IL — it’s mostly just a paper move that should result in Dobnak remaining in the organization and collecting the rest of the $7.95 million he’s owed from 2023-25 along with buyouts on his 2026-28 team options.

That will happen unless Dobnak is claimed on waivers, which is unlikely. In the meantime, he’ll continue working his way back to the big leagues, as he can easily be added back to the 40-man roster at any point moving forward if the team deems him ready to contribute again.