We are getting to the point in the season where the Twins should be able to make decisions on players that will or will not be members of the roster moving forward. The first player jettisoned was Phil Hughes.
Hughes signed with the Twins back ahead of the 2015 season, and was a primary reason for the Twins unexpected success that year. He set a record for the best K/BB rate among qualified pitchers in history, and as a result, earned a raise and an extension.
After that, however, things didn’t go well for Hughes. He took a liner off his knee and underwent two surgeries for thoracic outlet syndrome and missed the better part of the last two seasons, and a couple of weeks at the beginning of this year. He never really bounced back, making one start and then working mop up duty on a couple of occasions.
From a baseball perspective, this was an obvious decision. Hughes seems unlikely to reclaim what made him a good pitcher when he first started with the Twins, and there are players pressing for a spot on the roster. It’s a little tougher from a financial perspective, given the payroll commitment the Twins still have for Hughes.
It’s toughest from a personal perspective. Hughes was easy to like and was a good follow on Twitter. He’s accepted his fate with grace, and will definitely be missed, if not in the bullpen, then definitely in the Twin Cities.
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