Twins DFA Simeon Woods Richardson in Surprising Roster Move

The Minnesota Twins are moving on from one of their longest-tenured players in a surprising move.

On Saturday, the Twins announced that they have designated starting pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson for assignment. In a corresponding move, Minnesota recalled reliever John Klein from Triple-A St. Paul.

Woods Richardson struggled mightily this season, going 0-7 with a 7.74 ERA and a 1.89 WHIP. In 47.2 innings, he allowed 41 earned runs.

The Twins moved Woods Richardson to the bullpen after May 13 in hopes of helping him regain his form. However, he continued to struggle with his command and allowed plenty of baserunners.

Minnesota gave the 25-year-old one final chance on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox. It did not go well as Woods Richardson failed to make it through the third inning, allowing five runs over 2.2 innings.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/n3uVkjomB8

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) May 30, 2026

Given his struggles, the DFA makes sense. However, the move is still surprising given Woods Richardson's history with the organization. He was once considered one of baseball's top pitching prospects and appeared to have a bright future.

The Twins acquired Woods Richardson from the Toronto Blue Jays at the 2021 trade deadline when they sent Jose Berrios to Toronto. At the time, many viewed it as a strong return. Minnesota landed one of baseball's top pitching prospects in Woods Richardson and a highly regarded position player in Austin Martin.

Five years later, the trade has not worked out as the Twins envisioned. In 65 appearances with Minnesota, Woods Richardson went 12-17 with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP.

Woods Richardson will almost certainly get another opportunity elsewhere. He is still only 25 years old and, before this season, looked capable of serving as a back-end rotation starter.

The Twins' pitching staff has struggled all season, allowing 277 runs, the seventh most in baseball. Still, Minnesota sits only four games under .500 and two games out of an American League Wild Card spot.

After losing on a walk-off home run Thursday night, the Twins will look to even their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday at 3:05 p.m. CT.

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This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 10:38 AM.