Has Travis Adams Solidified His Spot in the Minnesota Twins Bullpen?

The Minnesota Twins finished 77-85 in 2026, third in the AL Central and eight games behind the Cleveland Guardians. The bullpen was one of the bigger problems, ranking 26th in MLB with a 4.74 ERA.

With A.J. Minter and Taylor Rogers both headed toward free agency and Anthony Banda recovering from lat surgery, Minnesota has real decisions to make about who fills those innings next season. Travis Adams is one of the names they will be sorting through.

Adams had a rough debut in 2025, posting a 7.49 ERA across 18 appearances, including two starts. It looked like he may never get another chance again in the big leagues. This year was a step forward. He appeared in 40 games out of the bullpen, throwing 59 innings with a 4.58 ERA, a 1.322 WHIP and 62 strikeouts.

He went 3-0 and converted three saves. The walks were an issue at 25, and 53 hits allowed leave some room to improve, but he clearly found his footing after the All-Star break.

Adams posted a 3.41 ERA in the second half with a 1.165 WHIP, 30 strikeouts and 12 walks in 34 1/3 innings. 

His arsenal gives him a chance to stick. Adams works with five pitches, mixing a changeup, slider, four-seamer, cutter and sinker, sitting around 94 miles per hour with his fastball. He is not going to overpower hitters but he has shown he can miss bats at the big-league level, which is the baseline for a useful reliever. The walk rate coming down is the next step.

Adams spent three seasons at Sacramento State before the Twins drafted him in the sixth round in 2021. He bounced between starting and relieving in the minors, hit a rough patch at Double-A Wichita in 2023.

He had to rebuild his value the following year before earning a spot on the 40-man roster. He made his big-league debut in July 2025 and has been working toward a consistent role ever since.

It was not a clean year in 2026 either for Adams. Minnesota did option him to Triple-A St. Paul at one point. He came back and finished strong enough to make this conversation relevant.

With Minter and Rogers potentially gone and Banda's health uncertain, there is a real opening for him in this bullpen. Adams has not locked it up, but he has done enough to compete for it. Spring training will show whether the second half was a turning point or just a hot stretch.