The Minnesota Twins have checked in on free-agent right-hander Justin Masterson, according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Masterson told MLB Network Radio that his agent is "talking to a few teams" and that he feels healthy and strong.
Masterson, 31, pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates Triple-A affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians, in 2016. He last pitched in the majors in 2015 for the Boston Red Sox, and was released from the team in August of that season after posting a 5.61 ERA in nine starts.
Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey is familiar with Masterson, who pitched for the Cleveland Indians from 2009-14 while Falvey was the club's assistant GM.
In six seasons with the Indians, Masterson was 48-61 with a 4.23 ERA over 164 appearances, 154 of which were starts. He struck out 797 batters and walked 393 in 950 2/3 innings pitched.
Masterson dealt with knee and shoulder issues in his last two seasons in the majors, and posted an ERA north of 5.50 in both seasons. The right-hander underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder prior to the 2016 season and didn't sign anywhere while rehabbing his injury before he agreed to a minor-league deal with the Pirates in mid-April.
--Alex Tekip
