The Minnesota Twins signed veteran reliever Liam Hendriks to a minor league contract in February. Hendriks will not be pitching in the Twins' bullpen in 2026, however, as he was granted his release on Friday, Betsy Helfand of the Pioneer Press reports.
Hendriks, 37, is a three-time All-Star. He will now begin searching for his next team in MLB free agency.
Hendriks' performance during 2026 spring training with Minnesota was respectable overall. He pitched to a 3.86 ERA across seven outings. However, things ultimately did not work out between Hendriks and the Twins.
Liam Hendriks looking for an MLB opportunity
Hendriks was once regarded as one of baseball's best closers. In fact, he even finished within the top 10 of American League Cy Young voting in 2020 and 2021 with the Athletics and Chicago White Sox. Hendriks led the league in saves with a mark of 38 during the '21 campaign.
In 2025, Hendriks made 14 appearances with the Boston Red Sox. He pitched to a 6.59 ERA, however. The right-hander also dealt with injury concerns.
Still, he clearly is not ready to give up on his career. He has made it clear in the past that he wants to continue pitching. Now all he needs is an opportunity.
It will be interesting to see what Hendriks' future in MLB holds. One has to imagine that teams in need of bullpen help would at least consider signing the veteran relief pitcher. Even if Liam Hendricks' performance is not what it once was, he will offer veteran prowess and can help younger pitchers on the roster.
