The Marlins announced Tuesday that they’ve claimed right-hander Michael Petersen off waivers from the Dodgers. Fellow righty Brett de Geus was designated for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
Petersen made his big league debut at 30 years old this season, pitching 14 innings for L.A. and recording a 6.43 ERA with a 17.2% strikeout rate and 12.5% walk rate. He’d joined the Dodgers on a minor league deal after spending the rest of his career in the minor league systems of the Brewers and Rockies.
Though Petersen’s brief big league run didn’t turn heads, he was excellent with the Dodgers’ Triple-A club in Oklahoma City, pitching to a 1.64 ERA with a massive 35.2% strikeout rate and tidy 6.4% walk rate in 33 innings of relief. The towering 6’7″ righty sits 97 mph with his four-seamer and complements that with an upper-80s cutter. He’s in the first of three option years, as the 2024 season marked the first time his contract has been selected to a big league roster.
The 26-year-old de Geus pitched 5 2/3 innings with Miami and was tagged for four earned runs on seven hits and a pair of walks with four strikeouts. He’s also suited up for the Mariners this season (3 1/3 innings, one run) and has previously pitched in the majors with the Rangers and D-backs. Overall, the former Rule 5 pick has 59 big league innings with a 7.17 ERA. 16.9% strikeout rate and 9.7% walk rate. Now that he’s been designated for assignment, he’ll head to waivers and be made available to the other 29 teams. Because he’s been outrighted in the past, de Geus can reject a minor league assignment if he clears. Even if he accepts, he can become a minor league free agent at season’s end.
Brett de Geus where my Anthony Gose … to DFA land
MLBTR should do an end of year retrospective identifying the MLB’s marginal player by who has appeared in article headlines most often. De Geus, Junk, etc.