The Twins took starting pitcher Nick Blackburn and infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka off the 40-man roster.  Both players cleared waivers and were re-assigned to triple-A Rochester.  Blackburn was 4-9 with a 7.39 ERA in 19 starts for the Twins this season.  Blackburn is due $4.75 Million this season.  Both players are unlikely to return to the major league team this season.

Blackburn was the last pitcher in the rotation that began the season in the rotation.  The Twins are expected to announce the replacement in the rotation for Blackburn today.  Liam Hendriks and Esmerling Vazquez are the top two replacement options.  Hendriks is 9-3 with a 2.20 ERA in 106 1/3 innings while Vazquez is 9-5 with a 2.86 ERA in 94 1/3 innings at triple-A.

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