Here today’s minor transactions from around the league, all coming courtesy of Baseball America’s Matt Eddy unless otherwise noted…
- Former Cubs right-hander Rafael Dolis, who spent the 2015 season with the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate and re-signed with Detroit after the season, has now been released to sign with the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The 28-year-old Dolis posted a 4.61 ERA at the Triple-A level last season and hasn’t seen the Majors since 2013. Somewhat curiously, Dolis becomes the second pitcher this offseason to sign a minor league deal with Detroit only to be released to head to Japan. Righty Jake Brigham did the same last month in order to sign with the Rakuten Golden Eagles.
- The Royals signed former Twins/Tigers right-hander Lester Oliveros,. The hard-throwing 27-year-old was traded from Detroit to Minnesota in 2011’s Delmon Young swap. He missed a season due to Tommy John surgery but has generally pitched well in Triple-A when healthy, owning a 3.71 ERA with 11.2 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 at that level. In the Majors, he has a 5.22 ERA in 29 1/3 innings, but he’s averaged nearly 94 mph on his fastball.
- The Rays have signed left-hander Adam Wilk to a minor league deal. The 28-year-old saw his first Major League action since 2012 last year when he threw two innings for the Angels. Wilk’s 6.49 ERA in 26 1/3 Major League innings isn’t impressive, but he’s a nice depth option for the club’s Triple-A rotation, having worked to a 4.14 ERA in 543 2/3 innings at that level. Wilk had similar numbers in the Korea Baseball Organization in 2013, posting a 4.12 ERA in 91 2/3 innings with the NC Dinos.
