Right-hander Cody Eppley has opted out of his minor league contract with the Twins and is now a free agent, MLBTR has learned. He will look to sign with another team in the season's final weeks.
Eppley, 27, signed a minor league deal with Minnesota back on June 13. After posting a 3.33 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 46 innings for the Yankees last season, Eppley broke camp with the Bombers this Spring. However, he pitched just 1 2/3 innings for New York, allowing four runs before being demoted to Triple-A and ultimately designated for assignment.
In 24 innings for the Twins at Triple-A Rochester, he posted a 4.88 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9. Eppley has 302 strikeouts in 272 1/3 career minor league innings, including 138 in 136 1/3 innings at Triple-A. When he's at his best, he generates plenty of ground-balls, as evidenced by his 60.3 percent ground-ball rate in 2012. He was one of 13 big league relievers with a ground-ball rate north of 60 percent in 2012 (minimum 40 innings pitched).
