Liam Hendriks’ career comes full circle with return to Twins

FORT MYERS, FLA. – Liam Hendriks returned to Twins camp on Friday, Feb. 13, after 13 years with other teams. He described the last time he wore a Twins uniform as 40 pounds ago with no beard, no gray hairs and only a slight amount of pitching ability.

He will have a different uniform number this time, too.

He proudly revealed he will wear No. 31, a number that eluded him during his Twins tenure because it was taken by other players. He was the 31st Australian to reach the big leagues.

“Look, there’s something kind of cyclical about it, starting my career here, coming back now and hoping to restart my career after three lost years kind of thing,” said Hendriks, who pitched for the Twins from 2011-13 before he was designated for assignment.

Hendriks will make $2.25 million if he makes the Twins’ roster this year, according to a person familiar with his deal. He could reach an additional $1.75 million though performance bonuses if he pitches in 55 games and spends 150 days on the active roster.

He described his career arc as a horrible starter to “to a middling reliever to having a couple of good years.”

He’s pitched only 17⅔ innings over the past three seasons because of a five-month battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and two arm surgeries.

One of the first text messages he received after he signed came from Justin Morneau, his teammate during his Minnesota years.

Hendriks joked that many of his former teammates are now on the “celeb coaches” list for spring training.

There was some outside speculation he might consider retirement after he underwent right elbow ulnar nerve transposition surgery at the end of September.

“Why would I go under the knife twice to not play or at least not attempt it?” Hendriks said. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”

The Twins view the addition of Hendriks to camp as a non-roster invitee as a win-win scenario. He was one of the premier closers in the American League from 2019-22, recording a 2.26 ERA with 114 saves. He made three All-Star teams and twice received Cy Young votes.

“I still look at it from the point of view I haven’t really come back since cancer,” said Hendriks, who had a 6.59 ERA in 14 appearances for the Boston Red Sox last year. “I came back a little bit last year, but I still wasn’t in a good spot. There were some underlying issues there. I was trying to push through a little too much.”

Hendriks initially went on the injured list last year because of an abdominal strain, but he developed an arm injury when he attempted to return. He overcompensated, he said, and he pinched a nerve in his elbow, causing him to lose feeling in three of his fingers for months.

“Anyone who has had anything to do with nerves knows that it’s not a fun thing to deal with,” Hendriks said. “It was not great, but here we are and we’re all ready to roll right now.”

Hendriks, 37, put a bigger onus on taking care of his body this winter, changing his workout program for the first time since he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023.

He typically throws 12-15 bullpen sessions each offseason, he said, but he’s thrown only six bullpens since his surgery. He plans to ease into spring training, which is why he declined to pitch for Australia in the upcoming World Baseball Classic unless the country advances to the quarterfinals.

It’s been more than a decade since Hendriks entered a spring camp with an uncertain roster status.

“I don’t mind not peaking until later in camp because I know I can still do it,” Hendriks said. “It’s a matter of showing it.”