Indians Release Ben Taylor

The Indians announced that right-hander Ben Taylor, who was designated for assignment last week, has cleared release waivers and is now a free agent.

Taylor, 26, pitched six innings out of the Cleveland ’pen last season and has logged 23 1/3 innings between Cleveland and Boston over the past two seasons. In that time, he’s struggled to a 5.40 ERA but carries a more encouraging 26-to-10 K/BB ratio. The former Red Sox farmhand also has a strong Triple-A track record, having compiled a 2.55 ERA with 10.4 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9 in 70 2/3 innings of relief across parts of two seasons at that level.

In his brief time in the big leagues, Taylor has averaged 92.5 mph on a heater that he complements with a slider and a much more occasional changeup. Despite his strong K/9 rate, his swinging-strike rate has been a below-average 8.4 percent, and he’s also had a tough time inducing chases on pitches out of the strike zone (25.4 percent).