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Randy Travis William Dobnak (born January 17, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Detroit Tigers organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins. He made his debut in 2019. Listed at and , he throws and bats right-handed.
In 2018, Dobnak returned to Cedar Rapids, going 10–5 with a 3.14 ERA in 129 innings.
In 2019, Dobnak began the season with the Class A-Advanced Fort Myers Miracle, then advanced to the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos, and the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings. With those three teams in 2019, he compiled an overall 12–4 record with 2.07 ERA in 24 games (21 starts), while striking out 109 batters in 135 innings. On August 8, 2019, the Twins selected Dobnak's contract and promoted him to the major leagues. He made his debut on August 9, pitching four scoreless innings in relief. With the 2019 Twins, Dobnak was 2–1 with one save and a 1.59 ERA in nine appearances (five starts), while striking out 23 in innings. He was included on the Twins' postseason roster, and started game 2 of the ALDS against the Yankees.
With the 2020 Minnesota Twins, Dobnak appeared in 10 games, compiling a 6–4 record with 4.05 ERA and 27 strikeouts in innings pitched.
On March 28, 2021, Dobnak and the Twins agreed to a five-year, $9.25MM extension that included three club option years with escalators that can bring the total amount up to $29.75MM. On July 17, Dobnak was placed on the 60-day injured list with a finger strain. On September 1, Dobnak was activated off of the injured list.
On March 21, 2022, Dobnak was placed on the 60-day injured list with discomfort in his right middle finger, the same finger in which he had suffered a strain in the year before. On September 14, the Twins placed Dobnak on outright waivers and he was sent to the Triple-A St. Paul Saints.
Dobnak spent the 2023 season with Triple–A St. Paul. He appeared in 31 games (26 starts), compiling a 5–9 record with 5.13 ERA and 115 strikeouts in innings pitched.
On February 14, 2024, Dobnak joined the Twins in spring training as a non-roster invitee. In 21 games (19 starts) for Triple–A St. Paul, he recorded a 9–5 record and 3.61 ERA with 102 strikeouts across innings pitched. On July 30, the Twins selected Dobnak's contract, adding him to their active roster. In 4 games for the Twins, he compiled a 5.87 ERA with 7 strikeouts over innings pitched. Dobnak was designated for assignment by Minnesota on September 16. Dobnak cleared waivers and was sent outright to St. Paul on September 18. On September 29, the Twins selected Dobnak's contract, adding him back to their active roster. On November 4, he was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to St. Paul.
On March 30, 2025, Dobnak pitched innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing only one run one two hits. Despite the performance, he was designated for assignment the next day following the promotion of Darren McCaughan. Dobnak cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A St. Paul on April 2.
Dobnak and Aerial Munson were married on September 28, 2019, in Maryland. When Twins fans began sharing the link to Dobnak and Munson's wedding registry online, the couple directed fans to instead donate to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, raising over $4,000 for the hospital.
Dobnak grew up as a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, attending Opening Day annually and estimates having gone to over 150 games at PNC Park. He pitched at PNC Park for the first time on August 5, 2020, where he pitched 6 shutout innings and earned the victory in a 5-2 Twins win.
Dobnak is an lifelong fan and player of the fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) RuneScape.
Detroit Tigers
On July 28, 2025, the Twins traded Dobnak and Chris Paddack to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for Enrique Jiménez.
Personal life
According to his LinkedIn profile, Dobnak has been driving for Uber and Lyft since October 2017 — and he's an excellent driver with a "4.99/5 Uber driver rating," his Twitter profile reads. "I have all five star reviews except for one," Dobnak told MLB.com in August 2019. "I have one four-star. I'm hoping it was a mistake. I don't remember doing anything bad."
Legacy
Dobnak is regarded as one of the greatest players in USPBL history. Out of a total of 52 USPBL alumni who have signed with MLB organizations, Dobnak is one of only five players to have reached the major league level. Dobnak's signing by longtime Twins scout Billy Milos marked a shift in the way the organization approached scouting independent baseball league players. Milos never watched Dobnak pitch in person at the time of his signing, solely watching YouTube videos filmed by Dobnak's father.
External links
Categories: 1995 Births, Living People, Alderson Broaddus Battlers Baseball Players, Baseball Players From Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Cedar Rapids Kernels Players, Elizabethton Twins Players, Florida Complex League Twins Players, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels Players, Fort Myers Miracle Players, Lyft People, Major League Baseball Pitchers, Minnesota Twins Players, Pensacola Blue Wahoos Players, Rochester Red Wings Players, St. Paul Saints Players, Toledo Mud Hens Players, 21st-century American Sportsmen
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