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Rich Harden | Starting Pitcher

Team: Minnesota Twins
Age / DOB:  (31) / 11/30/1981
Ht / Wt:  6'1' / 195
Bats / Throws: Left / Right
College: Central Arizona JC
Contract: view contract details
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Latest News

Recent News

Rich Harden (lat) is scheduled to resume throwing this week.
Harden dealt with soreness in his surgically-repaired shoulder in April and suffered a strained lat muscle last month. The Twins signed the injury-prone right-hander over the winter, but he's a long shot to contribute. Jun 4 - 11:34 AM
Source: Darren Wolfson on Twitter

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Player News

Date:
Rich Harden - S - Twins

Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony said Friday that Rich Harden's rehab has been "slow" and "not very well to be honest".

Harden felt soreness in his surgically-repaired shoulder while throwing a few weeks ago and hasn't progressed much since. It's starting to look like a longshot that the oft-injured right-hander will ever make an impact for the Twins.
Source: Rhett Bollinger on Twitter
May 17 - 8:38 PM
Rich Harden - S - Twins

Rich Harden felt soreness in his surgically-repaired right shoulder while throwing last week.

It appears to be just a minor setback, as Harden is expected to ramp it up again next week. It remains up in the air as to when the right-hander might join the Twins' roster.
Source: Rhett Bollinger on Twitter
Apr 28 - 1:54 PM
Rich Harden - S - Twins

Rich Harden (shoulder) is set to throw live batting practice to hitters in Fort Myers on Tuesday.

It's the next step in Harden's recovery from shoulder surgery. He has a $1 million opt-out clause in his contract if he's not with the Twins by July 31, but that shouldn't be an issue if he's already facing batters. It's not yet known whether he will be used as a starter or reliever by the Twins.
Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press
Apr 21 - 2:52 PM
Rich Harden - S - Twins

Rich Harden (shoulder) threw to hitters for the first time this spring on Saturday.

There's still no timetable for when Harden will be able to pitch in an actual game, but he should contribute at some point this season. The Twins aren't sure whether they will use him as a starter or reliever.
Source: 1500 ESPN Twin Cities
Apr 14 - 4:34 PM
Rich Harden - S - Twins

Twins reassigned RHP Rich Harden and LHP Rafael Perez to minor league camp.

Both pitchers are coming back from shoulder surgery and still aren't ready for game action. Harden is obviously a longshot to get and stay healthy and productive this season.
Mar 29 - 11:05 AM
Rich Harden - S - Twins

Rich Harden (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Sunday.

Harden was limited to long-tossing at the beginning of camp as he built up strength in his surgically-repaired right shoulder, but he's been throwing from the mound for a little while now. The injury-prone righty won't be ready for the start of the season, and it remains up in the air whether he'll be used as a starter or reliever while he's healthy and built up enough shoulder strength.
Source: Dustin Morse on Twitter
Mar 24 - 10:47 AM
Rich Harden - S - Twins

Rich Harden (shoulder) is currently long-tossing at 150 feet.

Harden was throwing off a mound early in camp, but the Twins determined that he needed to build up strength in his surgically-repaired right shoulder. "He's feeling good," general manager Terry Ryan said, "so we'll take this in increments." The club still isn't sure whether Harden will be used as a starter or reliever, but it's probably safe to assume that he's not a realistic option for the Opening Day rotation.
Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Mar 3 - 9:19 AM
Rich Harden - S - Twins

Rich Harden (shoulder) said his first spring training bullpen session Wednesday "felt pretty good."

"It felt pretty good," said Harden. "It was fun. It was good to get back out there. I'm hoping it'll feel the same when I start facing hitters. I threw mostly fastballs because I'm trying to get that feel back." Harden, of course, missed all of the 2012 season due to shoulder surgery, and he's a poor bet to stay healthy for much of 2013. The Twins aren't sure whether they will use him as a starter or reliever.
Source: Twins.mlb.com
Feb 13 - 7:36 PM
Rich Harden - S - Twins

According to 1500 ESPN's Phil Mackey, the Twins are considering Rich Harden for their bullpen.

The Twins would prefer to use Harden as a starter, but his role remains to be seen after missing the entire 2012 season due to shoulder surgery. "He has done both," GM Terry Ryan said. "And I would tell you starter if the health issue was not a part of this, but he's not been healthy. So we have to keep that option open."
Source: ESPN 1500 Twin Cities
Jan 9 - 11:22 AM
Rich Harden - S - Twins

Rich Harden's new minor league contract with the Twins includes an opt-out clause with a date of July 31.

In other words, Harden can become a free agent if he is not on the Twins' big league roster by the trade deadline. The 31-year-old right-hander is nearly a full 12 months removed from shoulder surgery and represents a nice low-risk option for the Minnesota starting rotation.
Source: Darren Wolfson on Twitter
Thu, Dec 27, 2012 02:19:00 PM
Rich Harden - S - Twins

Twins signed RHP Rich Harden to a minor league contract.

He's been given an invitation to spring training. Harden missed the entire 2012 season following surgery to repair a torn capsule in his right shoulder, but he's reportedly healthy now and trying for a comeback. The 31-year-old hasn't had any success since 2009 and has, of course, had major problems with staying healthy, but it doesn't hurt to see what he might have left. The Twins aren't sure whether he'll be used as a starter or reliever.
Fri, Dec 21, 2012 10:51:00 AM
Rich Harden - S - Twins

La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that the Twins were in touch Thursday with the agent for free agent right-hander Rich Harden.

Harden missed the entire 2012 season following surgery to repair a torn capsule in his right shoulder, but he's currently gearing up for a comeback. The 31-year-old right-hander will likely have to prove his worth with a minor league deal.
Related: Twins
Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Thu, Dec 20, 2012 04:55:00 PM
Rich Harden - S - Twins

FOX Sports' Jon Morosi reports that Rich Harden (shoulder) "feels great" and plans to pitch next season.

Harden missed the entire 2012 season following surgery to repair a torn capsule in his right shoulder. He's received interest from multiple teams, according to Morosi, but it's unclear whether he'd be returning as a starter. The 31-year-old right-hander posted a 5.12 ERA and 91/31 K/BB ratio over 82 2/3 innings in 2011 for Oakland and has a career 3.76 ERA over parts of nine seasons in the majors.
Source: Jon Paul Morosi on Twitter
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 09:31:00 PM
Rich Harden - S - Twins

Peter Gammons of MLB Network reports that Rich Harden had surgery last week to repair a torn capsule muscle in his right shoulder and will miss the entire 2012 season.

Gammons said on MLB Network on Wednesday that the surgery was performed by Dr. James Andrews. The rehab process from a torn capsule can be tricky (see: Chien-Ming Wang and Johan Santana for two prominent recent examples), but he's aiming to come back healthy in 2013. Harden, 30, posted a 5.12 ERA and 91/31 K/BB ratio over 82 2/3 innings for the A's last season.
Source: Peter Gammons on Twitter
Thu, Feb 9, 2012 08:44:00 AM

Depth Charts

Batters
PosRoleName
C1Joe Mauer
2Chris Herrmann
1B1Justin Morneau
2Chris Colabello
2B1Brian Dozier
2Jamey Carroll
SS1Pedro Florimon Jr.
2Eduardo Escobar
3B1Trevor Plouffe
LF1Josh Willingham
2Wilkin Ramirez
CF1Aaron Hicks
2Darin Mastroianni
RF1Oswaldo Arcia
2Chris Parmelee
DH1Ryan Doumit
Starting Pitcher
PosRoleName
S1Scott Diamond
2Kevin Correia
3Mike Pelfrey
4Samuel Deduno
5P.J. Walters
Relief Pitcher
PosRoleName
R1Glen Perkins
2Jared Burton
3Josh Roenicke
4Casey Fien
5Brian Duensing
6Anthony Swarzak
7Ryan Pressly
8Tim Wood
9Caleb Thielbar