CHICAGO – Matt Shoemaker pitched in 16 games for the Twins. The Twins lost 12 of them.
In 11 starts, Shoemaker posted a 7.28 ERA. In five relief outings, his ERA was 12.10.
Shoemaker gave up eight earned runs three times, including Wednesday during a 13-3 loss to the White Sox.
The Twins decided it was time for a change.
On Thursday they designated the righthander for release or assignment, potentially ending a relationship with a veteran arm they had hoped would stabilize the back of their rotation.
Shoemaker doesn't throw hard and has to be perfect with his control to make his split-fingered fastball effective. Sometime, even perfect wasn't enough as opponents batted .297 against him and hit 15 home runs in 60 ⅓ innings. He was 3-8 with an 8.06 ERA.
"It's of course a difficult and emotional time for any player, getting news like that," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "So it was hard. But Matt has been very professional from the day he came into the Twins organization. He understands the game. This isn't a process he's gone through before. This was new to him. And obviously, hard."
Shoemaker will be on waivers until Friday morning. If he clears, which is expected, the Twins can either release him or see if he will accept an assignment to the minors. A release is most likely.