Four days after designating him for assignment, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded right-handed reliever Justin Lawrence to the Minnesota Twins for cash considerations.
Lawrence, 31, was 0-2 with a 5.32 ERA over 23 games with the Pirates when he was designated for assignment May 29.
Last season, his first with the Pirates, Lawrence was lights-out when healthy, posting an ERA of 0.51 over 17 games. But the vast majority of his 2025 campaign was lost because of an injury and this year, never returned to that level of dominance.
Instead, Lawrence posted an ERA of 4.76 in April and 5.63 in May. He pitched 22 innings for the Pirates, striking out 25 with 12 walks and a WHIP of 1.55.
The Lawrence trade is just the second that general manager Ben Cherington has made during the regular season, following infielder Alika Williams being shipped to the Athletics May 16.