Below, SBG covers Crain's move to the DL. Julio DePaula takes Crain's place on the 25-man roster and in the bullpen.
First things first: DePaula is NOT Jesse Crain. Last year, and through the minors, when Crain stuck with his dominant fastball/slider combo, he got a lot of strikeouts, didn't walk many hitters, and had a decidedly above average groundball rate. DePaula, on the other hand, has had lower strikeout rates and higher walk rates than Crain.
DePaula's only saving grace is that he would appear to be a dominant groundball pitcher. So far this year at AAA, he's gotten 64% GB%, where league average is 46%.
For comparison, Fausto Carmona--tomorrow's starter for the Indians--had a 52% GB% in AAA during 2005, and a 49% GB% during 2006 (small sample), and so far as a major league pitcher, he's been at a 60% GB%.
With luck, Rick Anderson can limit DePaula's walks, much like he was able to do with Reyes last year, and DePaula becomes similar to someone like Chad Bradford, around 4-5 K/9, and 2 BB/9, and about a 60% GB% inducing lots of DPs. With less luck, DePaula walks more than he strikes out and has trouble getting major leaguers to induce groundballs. Another kinda-sorta comparison would be a right-handed Dennys Reyes with fewer strikeouts and fewer walks. (Reyes, BTW, currently sports a crazy 78.8% GB%.)
I certainly prefer pitchers like Crain, who get strikeouts and groundballs, but with any luck DePaula will be a decent reliever, though not in the same category as our elite relievers like Nathan, Rincon, and Neshek.
I also forgot to mention that DePaula didn't get a PECOTA projection this year, continuing a long tradition of Baseball Prospectus failing to grasp the Twins' pecking order.
Interesting note (if true) in the Baseball Cube page that you linked to above.
Signed - Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Colorado Rockies in 1997
DePaula was born December 31, 1982. Unless he was signed on New Years Eve, he signed as a 14 year old.
The Baseball Cube has him confused with Jorge DePaula. According to my Twins Media Guide from a year or two ago, DePaula was signed as a non-drafted free agent on July 10, 1999 by scout Johnny Sierra.