Right-hander Yerry Rodriguez went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment by the Blue Jays and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Buffalo, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com.
Rodriguez, 26, only saw a brief look in Toronto and struggled considerably in that time. The hard-throwing righty was tagged for nine runs (eight of them earned) on 10 hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 4 2/3 frames. He posted a 6.88 ERA in 17 innings with the Rangers prior to being acquired in a June trade that sent minor league righty Josh Mollerus to Texas. (Rodriguez had been designated for assignment in Texas as well, prior to that swap.)
This is the third season in which Rodriguez has logged at least some time in the majors, but he’s yet to find any success. He’s pitched 36 1/3 innings at the game’s top level and been torched for an 8.17 ERA. Rodriguez averages better than 96 mph on his heater and has shown a repeated ability to miss bats in the upper minors, but his bottom-line results have been suspect even at the Triple-A level. In parts of four seasons there, he’s totaled 156 innings with a 5.31 ERA, 28.3% strikeout rate and 12.4% walk rate.
Rodriguez doesn’t have the major league service time or prior outright required to become a free agent immediately, but he can become a minor league free agent at season’s end.
Yerry Rodriguez can clearly throw the ball hard but that’s about it. He belongs in the minors to learn his craft before he gets another chance.
I have no opinion on Yerry Rodriguez because I had no idea he existed prior to this article.