Twins sign new pitcher Tolhurst, release Hernandez

The LG Twins announced Sunday they've signed a new starting pitcher, Anders Tolhurst.

Tolhurst, 25, will replace Elieser Hernandez, who went 4-4 with a 4.23 ERA in 14 starts this season in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

The Twins signed Tolhurst for $370,000 for the rest of the season, including a buyout of $100,000. The American right-hander had split the 2025 season in Double-A and Triple-A in the Toronto Blue Jays system.

The Blue Jays selected him in the 23rd round of the 2019 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, and Tolhurst has yet to pitch in MLB. He reached Triple-A for the first time this year, putting up a 4-5 record in 16 appearances — including 14 starts — with a 4.67 ERA over 71 1/3 innings.

The Twins said Tolhurst has a deep arsenal of pitches and good command.

"He has taken a major step forward lately, and we expect him to settle in quickly and be the pitcher that we want him to be," the Twins said.

The Twins are parting ways with Hernandez, who joined them in the middle of last season.

In 25 combined regular-season outings over these two seasons, Hernandez went 7-6 with a save and a 4.14 ERA.

He left his mark in the postseason in 2024, piecing together 11 shutout innings in relief across two series.

The Twins re-signed him for 2025 at $1.1 million, with another $200,000 up for grabs in incentives. But he missed more than a month of action this season with a thigh injury and hasn't been as consistent as the team had hoped when he was healthy.

Hernandez made his final KBO outing Saturday, when he struck out a season-high nine batters in six innings of one-run ball against the Samsung Lions.

But it wasn't enough to save his job, as the Twins are trying to make a run at a regular-season title.

Riding a five-game winning streak into Sunday's action, the Twins were in second place at 60-40-2 (wins-losses-ties), only a half game behind the Hanwha Eagles.