Dodgers Select Matt Gage, Outright J.P. Feyereisen

The Dodgers added lefty reliever Matt Gage to the 40-man roster but will keep him on optional assignment to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Jon Heyman of the New York Post, who first reported the move (X link), indicates that Gage triggered an opt-out clause in his minor league deal. L.A. needed to put him on the 40-man or allow him to hit free agency. In a corresponding move, the Dodgers outrighted reliever J.P. Feyereisen from the 40-man roster.

Gage has impressed over 18 appearances in OKC. He carries a 2.79 earned run average through 19 1/3 innings. Gage has fanned an excellent 32.5% of batters faced while inducing grounders on 46.7% of batted balls. A 12% walk rate is a red flag, but Gage’s ability to miss bats at the top minor league level convinced the front office not to let him head back to the open market.

It won’t immediately net him an MLB roster spot, though. Gage still has one option year remaining, so the Dodgers can keep him in OKC for the rest of the season if they retain him on the 40-man roster. The 31-year-old has logged brief major league action with the Blue Jays and Astros over the last couple years. He owns a 1.83 ERA across 19 2/3 MLB frames, striking out 26% of batters faced with an 11.7% walk rate. Gage is a former 10th-round pick out of Siena College. He has pitched in parts of six Triple-A campaigns, where he carries a 4.95 ERA over 261 2/3 innings.

Feyereisen has had a rough season both in Triple-A and at the big league level. He owns a 6.75 ERA through 18 2/3 frames with Oklahoma City. The 31-year-old has logged 11 big league innings, surrendering 10 runs on 11 hits and five walks with nine strikeouts. The Dodgers evidently placed Feyereisen on waivers earlier in the week. He already went unclaimed and seems likely to stick in the organization at OKC.

As a player with between three and five years of service time, Feyereisen would need to relinquish his salary to decline an outright assignment in favor of free agency. He’s making $770K this season after avoiding arbitration over the winter. Assuming he sticks in the organization, Feyereisen would become a free agent next offseason if the Dodgers don’t add him back to the 40-man roster.

Whether he gets another look in L.A. should depend on whether he can recapture his best form in the minors. Feyereisen was an excellent reliever with the Brewers and Rays between 2021-22. He turned in a 2.73 ERA through 56 innings in ’21 and fired 24 1/3 frames without allowing an earned run in 2022. That stellar season was cut short by a shoulder injury that necessitated rotator cuff surgery the following offseason. The Rays traded Feyereisen to the Dodgers a week later.