Why Twins released former Yankees, Orioles reliever despite 1.69 Triple-A ERA

The Minnesota Twins are parting ways with a veteran reliever. 

But a roster crunch may be the main reason. 

"Matt Bowman was given his release by the Twins, likely due to 40-man issues," the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported on Wednesday. 

"Bowman posted a 1.69 ERA with 25 strikeouts and 6 walks in 21.1 innings while inducing groundballs at a 54.5% rate with AAA St. Paul. MLB deal elsewhere probably awaits." 

The Twins didn't give Bowman an MLB look during his second tenure with the club. He threw 7.2 innings for Minnesota in 2024 and spent parts of the last two seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. 

The right-hander has never been a star in the Majors, just a reliable innings eater with the experience to get outs in middle relief. 

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Bowman triggered the opt-out clause in his minor league contract a few days ago, but was not selected to the Twins' 40-man roster. 

As Heyman noted, there may be several clubs searching for an arm like his. 

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