Jorge Alcala, who has pitched out of the Twins’ bullpen 166 times since 2019, was traded to the Red Sox shortly after the Twins’ 6-2 victory Wednesday over Texas.
Alcala, suffering through perhaps his least effective season, allowing 29 hits, five home runs and 24 earned runs in 24 ⅓ innings, was moved in order to make room for newly acquired lefthander Joey Wentz, who is expected to report to Target Field on Thursday.
In return, the Red Sox sent Class A utility player Andy Lugo to the Twins, the teams announced. Lugo, a 21-year-old Dominican who was batting .265 for Greenville in the South Atlantic League, has primarily played first base and third base this season, though he also has played the outfield in previous seasons.
Alcala, 29, originally signed with the Astros in 2014 and was traded to the Twins in 2018 along with outfielder Gilberto Celestino for reliever Ryan Pressly. His 99-mph fastball has long made the Twins believe he could develop into a late-inning option, but it never happened. Alcala leaves the Twins with only one save, recorded in 2021.
Though he averaged more than a strikeout per inning, Alcala also averaged 3.3 walks per nine innings. Worst of all, he became homer-prone, allowing five already this season and 31 in his Twins career.
