Right-hander Heath Hembree has cleared waivers and elected free agency, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The righty was designated for assignment earlier in the week.
The 34-year-old right-hander spent many years as a reliable reliever for the Red Sox. From 2015 to 2019, he made 234 appearances with a 3.59 ERA in that stretch. However, he’s gone into journeyman mode in the past few years, bouncing from the Sox to the Phillies, Mets, Reds, Pirates, Dodgers and now the Rays since the start of 2020. He has a 6.55 ERA in that time frame.
The Rays signed him to a minor league deal in the offseason and selected his contract on Tuesday. He made one scoreless appearance of an inning and a third before getting the DFA treatment the very next day. He had made eight Triple-A appearances before getting called up, posting a 1.29 ERA at that level.
Any player with a previous career outright or more than three years of service time can reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency. Hembree qualifies on both accounts. He’ll now return to the open market in search of his next opportunity. Various clubs throughout the league have seen their pitching depth depleted by injuries and could be interested in an experienced veteran option like Hembree.
back to the Gigantes where is all started. FOREVER GIANT ceremony with Bumgarner
I would say it makes sense but he may be looking for a major league deal – the roster is pretty full right now in SF
ballz – You don’t want Hembree on the Giants roster.
His biggest contribution with the Red Sox was getting traded with Brandon Workman for Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold. I think that deal was the icing on the cake for Andy MacPhail’s demise, he was a horrible Phillies president.
I am joking. Are you serious?
Yep. Round 2?
He’s better than most of the A’s bullpen.
Hembree chose free agency, but then proceeded to walk it on five pitches.