Duffey threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and a walk to earn his second hold in Friday's win over Pittsburgh.

EDGE Analysis

Duffey had a slow start to the season with a 4.50 ERA and five walks in his first four innings. He has been striking out batters with six strikeouts in six innings overall. Duffey has always had good control, so the early walks are out of character. He doesn't appear to be in the mix to finish games as he's been used as early as the fourth and fifth innings in games, but he'll still feature in high-leverage situations if the walks don't become a trend.

Duffey threw a scoreless inning with a strikeout in Tuesday's spring training win over Baltimore. He's given up three runs in 2.2 innings with three strikeouts this spring.

EDGE Analysis

Duffey will factor in the late innings again for the Twins, likely setting up both Taylor Rogers and Alex Colome. However, he could get the final outs of a game occasionally as well. Duffey had a 1.88 ERA with an excellent 34.1% strikeout rate and an exemplary 7.3% walk rate last season. He should offer value in leagues counting holds (12 last year).

The Twins and Duffey agreed Wednesday on a one-year, $2.2 million contract, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Duffey will be getting a $1 million raise for 2021 after he finished second among all Twins relievers in WAR (0.7) while posting a 1.88 ERA and 31:6 K:BB in 24 innings during the 60-game 2020 campaign. He'll likely be in line to serve as one of the top setup men to Taylor Rogers in 2021, assuming the Twins don't bring in another veteran closer to replace Rogers.

Duffey threw a scoreless inning with three strikeouts in Wednesday's win over the Cardinals.

EDGE Analysis

Duffey was used in the sixth inning as he'll be a valuable middle reliever and setup man in the Minnesota bullpen mix. Duffey had a delayed start to summer camp, but he's looked sharp once the regular season began with five strikeouts and no walks in two innings in his first two appearances.

Duffey threw his first live batting practice of summer camp on Friday, MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Thursday that Duffey is slightly behind other pitchers in his build-up to the season, so this is a positive sign. However, his progress is worth monitoring because Duffey may be eased into the start of the regular season.

Duffey has not thrown in live batting practice or a scrimmage in summer camp as he's slightly behind other pitchers in his build-up to the season. MLB.com reports. "Duff, just due to every guy being in a different spot, probably just going to be a hair behind as we build him up," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "We're just building him up right now before we get him out there facing hitters."

EDGE Analysis

It's not clear if Duffey is dealing with an injury or just behind on his conditioning. Either way, it doesn't look like a major concern. However, Duffey was thought to have sneaky fantasy value early in the season if starting pitchers are not going to be able to go far into games, as he could get significant innings and opportunities as a result. If Duffey is eased into the start of the season, he may not be able to capitalize on those potential early relief innings.

Duffey signed a one-year, $1.2 million deal with the Twins on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 29-year-old earned a solid raise in his first season of arbitration eligibility with somewhat of a breakout campaign last year, posting a 2.50 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 82:14 K:BB with 15 holds in 57.2 innings. Duffey is unlikely to see much in terms of saves next season, but he could work as a setup man if he can replicate his 2019 performance.

Duffey threw two-thirds of a scoreless inning to record his 13th hold in Monday's win over the White Sox.

EDGE Analysis

Duffey has turned around his career at age 28, as he's gone from a player bouncing between Triple-A and the majors (and between the rotation and bullpen) to a key setup man. Duffey has dramatically improved his strikeout rate to 12.4 K/9. While his 3.25 FIP suggests his 2.47 ERA may be a little lucky, his career-high 93.9 mph average fastball points to an improvement in his skill and approach.

Duffey (1-0) pitched 1.1 innings in Saturday's 18-4 win over the Mariners, allowing one hit and striking out three batters to earn the win.

EDGE Analysis

Starter Jose Berrios ran up a high pitch count, leaving Duffey as the pitcher of record in the blowout win. The 28-year-old right hander has a 3.72 ERA and 1.24 WHIP with 14 strikeouts through 9.2 innings over eight appearances this season. He'll continue to see the bulk of his usage come in middle relief.

Duffey was recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Monday.

EDGE Analysis

Duffey has pitched well in the major leagues this season, posting a 1.42 ERA with 10 punchouts over 6.1 innings, and he'll get another opportunity out of the bullpen. Jake Cave was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.