The Marlins have sent left-hander Jonathan Bermúdez outright to Triple-A Jacksonville, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he passed through waivers unclaimed after being designated for assignment on the weekend. He has the right to elect free agency but it’s not yet clear if he’s chosen to do so.
Bermúdez, 28, was with the Marlins on a minor league deal when his contract was selected just over a week ago. He was able to make his major league debut a week ago, entering Tuesday’s game in the second inning after Roddery Muñoz was lit up for six earned runs in just an inning and a third. Bermúdez was able to toss 3 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits and no walks, registering three strikeouts in the process. The Fish were down 6-0 to the Rockies after the second but managed to come back to win 9-8 via a five-run ninth.
The Marlins needed five pitchers to pull off that victory, so they optioned Bermúdez and Muñoz the next day to bring in some fresh arms. A few days later, infielder Vidal Bruján was headed for the injured list so the club selected José Devers to replace him, which sent Bermúdez into DFA limbo.
Though he just made his major league debut, Bermúdez had been on a 40-man roster before. He was drafted by the Astros and that club added him to their roster in November of 2021 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He was designated for assignment in August of 2022 and went to the Giants via waivers, though he was outrighted about a week later.
Due to that previous outright, he has the right to elect free agency today if he so wishes. He posted decent minor league numbers through 2021, which is why he got that roster spot from the Astros, but the results haven’t been too strong lately. He has a 5.49 ERA in 273 2/3 minor league innings from 2022 to the present. That includes a 3.48 ERA this year, though that consists of a 2.53 ERA at Double-A and a 6.46 ERA at Triple-A.
Wonder if he wears Bermuda shorts?