Louie Varland's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

MLB.com's Do-Hyoung Park assumes that Minnesota Twins right-hander Louie Varland will get the nod to start on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field given how he lines up this week, which also plays into why he wasn't part of the team's roster expansions on Sunday. Varland is currently at Triple-A St. Paul, but he figures to come up this week for a spot start as the Twins look to get their regular starters some extra rest to kick off the final month of the regular season. The 26-year-old has an ERA over 6.00 with 32 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings over eight outings (seven starts) for the Twins in 2024. However, he had a quality start in six innings in his last start on Aug. 14 against the Kansas City Royals and has been very solid of late at St. Paul. Regardless of his recent hot stretch in the minors, Varland will be a shaky fantasy streamer if he starts on Wednesday with not much strikeout upside.

The Minnesota Twins recalled right-hander Louie Varland from Triple-A St. Paul on Friday as the 27th man to start Game 2 of the team's doubleheader against the visiting division-rival Cleveland Guardians. Depending on how Varland fares in his start on Friday, the Twins could call on him again soon now that right-hander Joe Ryan (shoulder) could potentially miss most, if not all, of the rest of the 2024 season. The 26-year-old will be making just his sixth start for Minnesota this year on Friday and won't be a recommended fantasy streamer against the first-place Guardians. In his six appearances this year, Varland has gone 0-4 with a 6.58 ERA (5.75 FIP), a 1.65 WHIP and a 25:10 K:BB in 26 innings pitched. Varland's last appearance in the big leagues came back on June 16, when he gave up two earned runs in 4 1/3 innings of relief against the Oakland Athletics.

The Minnesota Twins optioned right-hander Louie Varland and catcher Jair Camargo to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday. Manager Rocco Baldelli didn't commit to Varland taking his next turn through the team's starting rotation after another subpar performance on Sunday, when he allowed four runs in just 2 2/3 innings in a loss to the Detroit Tigers. The 26-year-old former 15th-round pick in 2019 out of Concordia University has lost all four of his starts so far in 2024 and is sporting an ugly 9.18 ERA and 2.16 WHIP with nine walks and 18 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings pitched. He's already allowed six home runs in four starts after allowing 16 all of last year in a career-high 68 innings pitched. Prospect Simeon Woods Richardson is most likely to take Varland's spot in Minnesota's rotation moving forward.