The Twins sent Louie Varland back to St. Paul on Tuesday before their game against the Boston Red Sox at Target Field.
Reliever Oliver Ortega was called up from St. Paul and, to make room on the 40-man roster, outfielder Kyle Garlick was designated for assignment.
Garlick will have to clear waivers in order to be returned to the Saints. He has two home runs in 14 games with the Twins, and was hitting .179.
Varland started 10 games for the Twins this season and is 3-3 with a 5.30 ERA. The North St. Paul native's demotion likely clears the way for Kenta Maeda, who has finished his rehab assignment, to return to the Twins rotation this weekend.
Ortega pitched in 16 games for the Saints and is 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA. The 26-year-old righthander has 28 strikeouts in 22⅓ innings. A native of the Dominican Republic, Ortega has pitched in the majors for the Angels in 2021 and 2022, throwing 43⅓ innings with a 3.95 ERA. The Twins claimed in on waivers in January and purchased his contract from the Saints on Tuesday.
Bailey Ober (4-3, 2.65 ERA) will start for the Twins tonight (6:40, BSN) against Red Sox righty Kutter Crawford (1-3, 4.20).
RED SOX LINEUP
Alex Verdugo, RF
Justin Turner, DH
Rafael Devers, 3B
Masataka Yoshida, LF
Adam Duvall, CF
Tristan Casas, 1B
Kiké Hernández, 2B
Connor Wong, C
Pablo Reyes, SS
TWINS LINEUP
Edouard Julien, 2B
Carlos Correa, SS
Alex Kirilloff, 1B
Byron Buxton, DH
Joey Gallo, LF
Royce Lewis, 3B
Max Kepler, RF
Ryan Jeffers, C
Willi Castro, CF
