Australian baseball superstar Liam Hendriks is on the lookout for a new club after being released by the Minnesota Twins.
The Perth-born pitcher is now a free agent after having his wish granted on Friday by Minnesota, who first gave him his big break back in 2007.
Hendriks would have earned a $2.25 million ($A3m) salary in the major leagues if he had been added to the 40-man roster.
He made his MLB debut for the Twins in 2011 and then forged a career that saw him become one of the best relievers in baseball.
He had 116 saves in a 14-year career, of which 114 were from 2019-22 during two seasons with the Oakland Athletics and two with the Chicago White Sox. He set a career high with 38 saves for the White Sox in 2021.
His career flourished with three All-Star call-ups in 2019, 2021 and 2022 and was named American League's Reliever of the Year in 2020 and 2021.
But in 2022, his medical troubles began.
Hendriks was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and a year later he was sidelined after making just five appearances because of a right elbow inflammation. It eventually led to him having Tommy John ligament replacement surgery.
At the end of the 2023 season, he won the AL MLB Comeback Player of the Year award.
Hendriks later signed for Boston and had a 6.59 ERA in 14 games with the Red Sox last year, but his season was cut short this time by right hip inflammation.
Minnesota then signed the 37-year-old to a minor league deal with an invitation to major league spring training on February 12.
As a free agent - he was on a major league roster/injured list plus six-years of service - Hendriks included opt-out dates in his contract. The first was one week before Opening Day, the second on May 1 and the third on June 1.
He triggered that clause and the Twins had 48 hours to respond.
Hendriks allowed three runs, nine hits and five walks over seven innings while appearing in seven games.
with AP
