The Orix Buffaloes of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball announced Wednesday that Sparkman signed with the club.

EDGE Analysis

The 29-year-old right-hander will continue his career overseas after few lucrative opportunities emerged stateside once the Twins released him from his minor-league deal in May. Sparkman has spent parts of four seasons in the big leagues, compiling a 5.99 ERA across 52 appearances (26 starts) with the Blue Jays and Royals.

The Twins released Sparkman on Wednesday, Brandon Warne of Access Twins reports.

EDGE Analysis

After failing to win a spot in the Twins' Opening Day bullpen, Sparkman has spent the 2021 season at Triple-A St. Paul. He's looked good through his first two relief appearances for St. Paul -- he's allowed one run and struck out six over three innings -- but a promotion to the big leagues likely wasn't forthcoming. Sparkman will presumably look to move on to an organization that can present him with a clearer path back to the big leagues.

The Twins reassigned Sparkman to their alternate training site Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

Sparkman had been attending big-league camp as a non-roster invitee, hoping to win a spot in the Twins' Opening Day bullpen. The right-hander tossed five innings in relief for the Royals in 2020, giving up three earned runs on nine hits and a walk.

Sparkman threw a scoreless inning with a strikeout in Sunday's win over Tampa Bay. He bounced back after giving up five earned runs without recording an out in his spring debut on Mar. 3.

EDGE Analysis

Sparkman missed most of the 2020 season with a forearm strain but looks healthy as spring training begins. He'll likely need to prove himself again at Triple-A after a 5.40 ERA in 2020 (though just five innings) and a 6.02 ERA in 2019.

Sparkman (forearm) reached a minor-league deal with the Twins on Thursday as a non-roster invitee, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

EDGE Analysis

Sparkman was let go by the Royals in late November, but he'll be invited to spring training with the Twins in 2021. The right-hander gave up three runs on nine hits and one walk over five innings in 2020 before ending the season with a strained forearm, but he'll attempt to earn a spot in the Twins' bullpen next year.

Sparkman (forearm) was released by Kansas City on Monday.

EDGE Analysis

Sparkman was designated for assignment Friday, and he'll hit the open market after the Royals request unconditional release waivers. He appeared in just four games in 2020, surrendering three runs on nine hits and a walk over five innings of work.

Sparkman (forearm) was designated for assignment by the Royals on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

Sparkman missed most of the 2020 season with a forearm strain, and he'll now be cast off the 40-man roster to make room for several prospects who will now be protected from the Rule 5 draft. The right-hander struggled to generate much production once again last year, allowing three runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out two over five relief innings.

Sparkman (forearm) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Friday.

EDGE Analysis

Sparkman landed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a forearm strain. The issue is evidently a serious one, and he'll now miss at minimum the majority of the rest of the season.

Sparkman was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a strained right forearm.

EDGE Analysis

Scott Blewett was recalled from Kansas City's alternate camp site to take Sparkman's place on the roster. The move is retroactive to Aug. 3, making Sparkman eligible to return Aug. 13 should he prove ready. Prior to landing on the shelf, Sparkman made four appearances and allowed three runs on nine hits across five innings.

Sparkman, whose velocity ticked up to 96-97 mph in relief this spring, was on track to make the big-league bullpen when camp was suspended, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

He was converted to the bullpen this spring and logged a 1.08 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and 12:0 K:BB in 8.1 innings. It's a very small sample, but now that he is throwing in the upper-90s, Sparkman immediately becomes an intriguing name to track in the Royals bullpen. Even so, Ian Kennedy is the closer until further notice.