Twins shuffle their 40-man roster, designating Taylor Rashi for assignment

The Minnesota Twins selected the contract of infielder Kaelen Culpepper and, to make room on the 40-man roster, designated right-hander Taylor Rashi for assignment, according to a Tuesday transaction report. The move reflects the usual balancing act clubs face in the late-season window, when teams add players they believe can help immediately while trying to keep their options open if someone clears waivers.

In the corresponding transaction, the Twins recalled right-hander Zebby Matthews. A recall typically indicates that the organization wants the pitcher on the active staff for the next games, either as a bullpen option or as a spot-start/spot-relief type of look, depending on how the Twins structure their rotation and bullpen usage.

Minnesota also optioned infielder Tristan Gray in the same transaction sequence. Optioning a player generally allows a team to keep him in the organization while reducing the active 40-man footprint, and it often lines up with the timing of another player’s contract being selected and another roster spot being created.

On the pitching side, the Twins placed right-hander Joe Ryan on the 15-day injured list with a left glute strain. That placement matters beyond the roster bookkeeping, because it removes a starting pitcher from the rotation plan and forces Minnesota to reconfigure innings distribution among remaining starters and relief depth.

Rashi’s designation for assignment means he is removed from the 40-man roster and placed in a process in which the Twins can trade him, release him, or put him through waivers so another organization can claim him. For Rashi, the designation changes his immediate outlook with Minnesota, while for the Twins it creates flexibility if they prefer to keep a different pitcher available for the stretch run and postseason push.

Because this story is built from transaction reporting rather than a separate official club release, some granular details are necessarily limited here, such as how the Twins intend to map Ryan’s replacement start(s) game-by-game. Still, taken together, the moves are consistent with a club reacting to an IL situation, adding a position player it believes fits its roster needs, and adjusting the pitching staff accordingly.

The key question for the coming days is whether any team claims Rashi off waivers, and how quickly Minnesota’s pitching staff can absorb Ryan’s absence in both start timing and bullpen workload. If Rashi clears, the Twins may assign him within the organization or attempt another roster maneuver as they approach the next roster cutoff.