Trevor

Richards

Richards could have refused his assignment and entered free agency, but the 31-year-old will stay in the Minnesota organization. He was mostly ineffective in his time with the Twins after being acquired at the deadline with a 13/11 K/BB and 4.15 ERA in 13 innings over 10 appearances.

If Richards had been on waivers prior to the Sept. 1 roster deadline, it’s possible he would have been claimed. The Twins, though, kept him in limbo long enough to ensure that no other team could put him on a postseason roster. Richards has a 4.55 ERA and a 62/35 K/BB in 65 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays and Twins this season.

Richards hasn’t been atrocious since coming over from the Blue Jays at the trade deadline, posting a respectable 4.15 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 13/11 K/BB ratio across 13 innings (10 appearances). However, the Twins have probably seen enough and are going to explore some of their other in-house options in middle relief.

Twins’ closer Jhoan Duran had already worked earlier in the day, closing out the first game of the doubleheader. Richards came on with a three-run lead to protect in the nightcap and made it look easy, getting Bryan Rocchio on a ground ball to second base, Bo Naylor on a swinging third strike and Steven Kwan on a fly out to center to end it. He’s not going to usurp the closer’s role anytime soon, but it’s nice for manager Rocco Baldelli to know that he has other capable late-inning options out there.

Josh Staumont was designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Richards is a free agent after the season and has a 4.64 ERA this year. He figures to serve as middle relief depth for Minnesota.

Richards has struggled considerably over the last few weeks, which certainly didn’t help his trade value. However, he’ll still wind up on a contender in Minnesota and figures to operate in low-leverage spots as extra middle relief depth.

Richards took the mound as the opener in Saturday’s contest against the Guardians. He tossed a scoreless first inning, working around a leadoff single in the second, and recorded the first out in the third before he was replaced at 31 pitches. The 31-year-old right-hander has been excellent out of the bullpen for Toronto, posting a 3.09 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and a 34/15 K/BB ratio across 35 innings.

Richards will take the ball to open a bullpen game for Toronto on Saturday afternoon at the Rogers Centre. The 31-year-old righty holds a respectable 3.31 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 33/15 K/BB ratio across 32 2/3 innings (29 appearances, one start) this season for Toronto. There’s zero streaming appeal here for fantasy managers since he’s unlikely to work more than an inning or two as an opener.

Richards made his first start of the season after making his first 25 appearances out of the bullpen. Operating as more of an “opener” than a starter in this one, his 40 pitches and four strikeouts were both new highs for him on the young season. Richards needed 12 pitches to retire Ryan Mountcastle in the first innings, which significantly drove up his pitch count on the day, but he was flawless through his two innings of work. It seems unlikely that he would make another spot start, but if he does, it could come on Sunday against the Athletics.

Francis will be the “bulk” pitcher for Toronto on Tuesday with Trevor Richards getting the start as the opener against Baltimore. Francis has been on the injured list since the end of April due to tendinitis in his right forearm. The right-hander could pick up a win working in his role, but it’d be a mistake to trust him as a fantasy option Tuesday.