Fireballer Jhoan Duran is ready to join the Twins’ roster for the first time this season as Minnesota takes on the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.
Manager Rocco Baldelli said Duran likely was to be available for the surging Twins, who have won eight in a row with a makeshift bullpen compensating for not having the 100 mph heat from their planned closer yet in 2024. Duran went for testing on his aching side on March 16 and was shut down with an oblique strain.
For Duran, the radar gun told him it was time to return.
Duran wrapped up a two-game rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday. During the second outing, his fastball clocked at an average of 101.8 mph.
“When I see that velocity, I feel more good,” Duran said. “It’s like, ‘OK, you see it, let’s go.'”
Duran joined the Twins in Chicago on Monday.
The 26-year-old right-hander has career 35 saves and a 2.15 ERA with 173 strikeouts in 130 innings.