Feb. 23: Chargois was actually placed on waivers on Wednesday, Berardino tweets, meaning the outcome should be known this afternoon.

Feb. 22: The Twins have placed righty J.T. Chargois on outright waivers, according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (Twitter link). It seems the hope is that the injured Chargois will clear waivers while leaving the organization a 40-man spot to work with.

Chargois, a second-round pick in the 2012 draft, steadily moved up the Minnesota system as he worked to harness a big heater. In 2016, he impressed in his first attempt at Triple-A, posting a 1.29 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 over 35 innings. And while he struggled overall in a first attempt at the majors, Chargois did finish his debut effort with a strong final month.

The arrow pointed up heading into 2017, but Chargois stalled out. He took the mound only twice in competitive situations while dealing with an elbow problem that was ultimately diagnosed as a stress reaction. While he did not require surgery, there’s obviously some uncertainty as to how his career will progress from this point.

Given that Chargois held onto his 40-man spot throughout the winter, it seems the Twins have maintained at least some cause for optimism. On the other hand, the club is obviously now willing to take a chance at losing a pitcher who not long ago seemed a future closer possibility. Whether his early showing in camp impacted the decision is not clear, but it’s somewhat notable that Minnesota did not place Chargois on the 60-day DL, suggesting that he’s healthy enough that such a placement would not be warranted.