Twins release Rich Harden

Rich Harden requested and was granted his official release from the Twins organization. The right-hander had been continuing to rehab his surgically-repaired right shoulder, attempting yet another comeback. As Mike Berardino points out, Harden had an out clause in his contract with which he could request his release if he wasn’t on the Major League roster by July 31. It was obvious that was not going to happen with just a few days to spare.

More, via Darren Wolfson:

Lowdown on Rich Harden, who asked to be let go: won’t pitch again in 2013. Does want to pitch in 2014. Told #MNTwins treated him very well.

— Darren Wolfson (@DarrenWolfson) July 28, 2013

Harden has not pitched at any level since September 2011 when he was with the Athletics. He made his 2011 debut on July 1, and in his 15 starts until the end of the season, he posted a 5.12 ERA. He will be 32 years old when the 2014 season begins.

The Blue Jays placed right-hander Aaron Sanchez on the 10-day disabled list with a contusion in his right index finger, per a team announcement on Saturday. The assignment is retroactive to Friday. In a corresponding move, righty Marcus Stroman was activated from the DL (right shoulder fatigue) and will take the mound for the Blue Jays at 9:07 PM ET tonight.

Sanchez, 25, is in his fifth season with the club. He hasn’t looked his sharpest so far this year, going 3-5 in 15 starts with a career-worst 4.52 ERA, 5.1 BB/9 and 7.6 SO/9 through 79 2/3 innings. It’s not yet clear how long he’ll be sidelined, though he could miss as little as one turn in the rotation before returning to the roster in the next week or two.

Sanchez isn’t the only struggling starter in Toronto’s rotation, either. Per MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm, the team placed southpaw Jaime Garcia on the DL (right shoulder tenderness) as well, with lefty reliever Tim Mayza scheduled to take his spot on the roster. In 13 starts this season, Garcia carried a 2-6 record, 6.16 ERA, 4.5 BB/9 and 8.2 SO/9 over 61 1/3 innings. Any further decisions pertaining to the rotation — including Tuesday’s starter against the Astros — have yet to be publicly addressed.