Legendary Hall of Famer's Son Gets Call-Up By Twins

At the ripe old age of 29, it appeared that a major league career was slipping away from Dereck Rodriguez, the son of legendary Hall of Fame catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez. After spending three years in the San Francisco Giants' organization, Rodriguez hadn't played a big league game in two years. 

Now, the Minnesota Twins are giving the right-hander a call-up back to the Show, while designating another righty, Jharel Cotton, for assignment. Minnesota originally drafted Rodriguez in the 6th round of the 2011 June amateur draft, but he never cracked the big club in seven years with the organization. 

Rodriguez burst onto the MLB scene in 2018, however, with the Giants, posting a 2.81 ERA as a 5th starter. His 2019 didn't go so well, as he slumped to a 5.64 ERA, splitting his time between the starting rotation and the bullpen. 

2020 was a complete write-off, as he got into only 4 innings, and gave up 10 hits and 6 earned runs for a 13.50 ERA. The Giants put him on waivers, and despite some nibbles from the Detroit Tigers and the Colorado Rockies, he hasn't made it back to the big leagues. Until now. 

Rodriguez is expected to work as a long reliever for the Twins, with perhaps a spot start here or there. 

Photo Credit:  Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports