Minnesota Twins Remove 3 Players From Active 40-Man Roster

The Minnesota Twins are cleaning house early. Anthony Banda, Tristan Gray, and Aaron Sabato have all been outrighted off the 40-man roster after clearing waivers, with Aaron Gleeman first reporting the transactions. All three are now free agents.

The moves give the Twins some early offseason flexibility after a 77-85 season that ended with Minnesota third in the AL Central, eight games behind the division-winning Cleveland Guardians. The organization allowed more runs than it scored and missed the postseason for a third consecutive year. The front office has real work ahead.

Banda's departure is the most notable of the three. The left-handed reliever joined Minnesota from the Los Angeles Dodgers in February and appeared in 39 games before a left lat strain ended his season in late June.

He underwent surgery on July 7 and is not expected back until at least July 2027. Carrying a reliever who will miss the first half of the season on the 40-man roster made no sense. The Twins are not closing the door on a reunion, but this move gives them options. 

With Banda off the 40-man, the Twins are no longer obligated to pay him in arbitration too.

Gray appeared in 66 games and hit .225 with four home runs and 29 RBI in 173 at-bats. He provided defensive flexibility around the infield but never hit enough to earn a consistent role. A .591 OPS from a utility infielder is a tough sell on a roster trying to improve, and Minnesota was right to open that spot.

Sabato's outrighting closes an interesting chapter for the 2020 first-round pick. At Triple-A St. Paul this season, he hit .273 with 25 home runs, 75 RBI, and an .877 OPS in 113 games. The power is real at the minor league level.

The problem is that Sabato plays first base exclusively, which limits his roster utility, and his three-game MLB cameo produced six at-bats and no hits. A team somewhere will take a chance on his bat, but Minnesota could not afford to hold the spot.

These moves are housekeeping, but they reflect a larger reset. The Twins' bullpen ranked 26th in MLB with a 4.74 ERA in 2026, blew 21 saves, and is now down another left-hander with Banda gone.

That is the most pressing problem heading into this offseason. Ryan Jeffers is also headed for free agency, and the rotation faces long-term questions with multiple starters potentially hitting the open market after 2027.

Opening roster spots is step one. Minnesota has a lot of ground to cover between now and spring training.