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Stewart and Griffin Jax are viewed as the most likely candidates to handle save situations for the Twins in the first few weeks of the season after president of baseball operations Derek Falvey announced Monday that Jhoan Duran (oblique) will begin the campaign on the injured list, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Falvey didn't comment specifically on the Twins' plans at closer sans Duran, but Stewart and Jax represent the team's top-performing bullpen arms from 2023 that were retained heading into 2024. Though he spent considerable time on the shelf while tending to a sore elbow, Stewart was dominant when he was available last season, pitching to an 0.65 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 39:11 K:BB in 27.2 innings. Jax's numbers (3.86 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 68:19 K:BB in 65.1 innings) weren't quite as impressive in comparison, but he has multiple seasons under his belt as a reliable relief arm for Minnesota in addition to possessing a much stronger track record on the health front. That might be enough to give Jax the early edge on save chances over Stewart, who still profiles as a decent late-round dart in mixed leagues and AL-only leagues in any case.
