Twins pick up $1.5 million option on reliever Jorge Alcala for next season

 The Minnesota Twins exercised their $1.5 million club option for reliever Jorge Alcala on Monday, banking on a rebound by the right-hander after he had a rocky finish to what had been a promising season.

Alcala finished with a 3.24 ERA in 54 appearances in 2024, with 58 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings. He gave up eight home runs and 20 walks. Prior to the All-Star break, Alcala posted a 1.56 ERA in 34 2/3 innings. After the break, his ERA was 5.70 in 23 2/3 innings, and he was sent to Triple-A in mid-September despite a dearth of bullpen options with the Twins in the thick of the playoff race.

Alcala, 29, was acquired in a trade with Houston in 2018 for reliever Ryan Pressly. He made his debut with Minnesota in 2019 but has been hampered by injuries for much of his time with the Twins. He has a 3.64 ERA in 163 1/3 career major league innings.

Last week , the Twins declined their 2025 options on infielder Kyle Farmer and outfielder Manny Margot, making them both free agents.