Blue Jays Re-Sign Josh Fleming On Minor League Deal
The Blue Jays are re-signing left-hander Josh Fleming on a minor league deal, as Mitch Bannon of The Athletic has reported. Toronto previously signed Fleming to a minor league deal in February and briefly called him up before designating him for assignment last week, at which point he elected free agency.
A fifth-round pick by the Rays back in 2017, Fleming made his big league debut in the shortened 2020 season an made a solid first impression with a 2.78 ERA across his first 32 2/3 innings of work as a rookie. That strong production was belied by weak peripherals, however, and in 2021 Fleming found himself exposed with a lackluster 5.09 ERA in 104 1/3 frames as a swing man for Tampa. Fleming stuck with the Rays for two more seasons, posting a 5.40 ERA in 22 appearances as a long reliever and spot starter. He was non-tendered by the Rays after the 2023 season and joined the Pirates on a one-year deal, where he pitched to a decent 4.02 ERA in 31 1/3 innings. He did not find his way to the majors last year and spent the entire 2025 campaign at the Triple-A level with the Mariners before joining Toronto this past offseason.
Now that Fleming is back in the organization, the lefty can be called upon to help a beleaguered Blue Jays pitching staff. Bowden Francis, Cody Ponce, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, and Jose Berrios are all already on the injured list. Veteran right-hander Max Scherzer is currently pitching through forearm tendinitis but could be facing an IL stint of his own after 2 1/3 innings of eight-run baseball. Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports that Trey Yesavage could be back in the mix next week, but for now the Blue Jays are in serious need of depth.
That’s where Fleming could come in. The soon-to-be 30-year-old southpaw turned in four innings of three-run ball in his lone long relief outing for the Blue Jays before being DFA’d. Even prior to that outing, Fleming had a 4.77 ERA and 4.65 FIP in the majors for his career. Even at Triple-A, he’s managed just a 4.18 ERA over his career. The lefty isn’t likely to offer impactful innings to the Blue Jays, but for a club desperate to eat innings with any sort of consistency Fleming could end up proving vital during this tough stretch for Toronto. Yariel Rodriguez, Lazaro Estrada, and perhaps Adam Macko are among the club’s other options who can offer multi-inning relief work or a spot start who aren’t already on the active roster or injured list.
Josh Fleming, Austin Voth Elect Free Agency
Left-hander Josh Fleming and right-hander Austin Voth have both cleared waivers and elected free agency. Both were designated for assignment by the Blue Jays this week. Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet was among those to relay the news.
As of a few days ago, both pitchers were with the Jays on minor league deals. The club’s pitching staff suffered a few notable blows, forcing them to cycle through some depth. Cody Ponce suffered a knee injury that eventually required surgery. Lazaro Estrada was recalled when Ponce landed on the injured list. Estrada made one appearance in a bullpen game on Saturday, logging four innings, then got optioned back to the minors.
Voth was one of the pitchers who came up when Estrada went down. Eric Lauer, battling through the flu, started on Sunday but only went two innings. Voth tossed 2 2/3 innings in relief. He was designated for assignment the next day when Fleming was selected. On Monday, Max Scherzer started but he was pulled after two innings due to some right forearm tendinitis, which led to Fleming coming in to pitch three frames. Fleming was designated for assignment when the Jays recalled Patrick Corbin, who will start tomorrow’s game.
A player has the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency if he has a previous career outright or at least three years of service time. Each of Voth and Fleming qualify on both accounts. The two of them now head into free agency to see what offers await them.
Both pitchers generally have passable career numbers in swing roles. Voth has thrown 363 big league innings over 208 games, including 39 starts. He has a 4.69 earned run average, 22% strikeout rate, 8.3% walk rate and 34.4% ground ball rate. Fleming has thrown 257 2/3 innings in 81 games, including 25 starts. He has a 4.86 ERA, 14.4% strikeout rate, 7.6% walk rate and 58.5% ground ball rate.
It’s possible that one or both pitchers will re-sign with the Jays, as that’s a common outcome in these situations, but they can explore alternatives. The Jays do have Trey Yesavage, José Berríos and Shane Bieber working back from injuries but their depth is a bit perilous in the short term and Scherzer’s status is still up in the air, meaning the pitchers would have decent paths back to the majors. Estrada is now on the minor league IL, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com, so that’s one fewer competitor with the Jays. Though on the other hand, they’re certainly not the only club dealing with pitching injuries.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images
Blue Jays Designate Josh Fleming For Assignment
The Blue Jays announced a series of roster moves today. Left-hander Patrick Corbin and infielder Tyler Fitzgerald have been recalled to the active roster. Infielder/outfielder Addison Barger has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 6th, due to a left ankle sprain. That opened a spot for Fitzgerald, while Corbin takes the spot of left-hander Josh Fleming, who has been designated for assignment.
The Jays have recently been cycling through pitchers due to a few notable setbacks. Cody Ponce sprained the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last week, opening a hole in their rotation. Eric Lauer has also been battling the flu lately, which pushed his Saturday start to Sunday.
The Jays recalled Lazaro Estrada when Ponce landed on the IL. He covered four innings as part of a bullpen game on Saturday but then got optioned right after that, alongside lefty Brendon Little. The Jays added Joe Mantiply and Austin Voth to replace those two. Lauer tried to gut through his illness on Sunday but could only stomach two innings, forcing Voth to absorb 2 2/3.
Prior to yesterday’s game, Fleming was added to the roster with Voth designated for assignment. Max Scherzer started yesterday but was held back by some right forearm tendinitis. It’s possible he may be fine enough to make his next start, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, but he was pulled after just two innings last night. Fleming was called in to soak up three innings, allowing four earned runs as the Jays were eventually trounced by the Dodgers 14-2.
It’s presumably not the return to the majors that Fleming hoped for. After being stuck in the minors in 2025, he got back to the show last night and was thrown into the proverbial lion’s den, having to face Shohei Ohtani and the dangerous Dodger lineup. The Jays surely appreciate the nine outs he gave them but it took him 77 pitches and he wasn’t going to be available for a few days. Since he’s out of options, he’s been bumped into DFA limbo. The Jays will likely place him on waivers in the coming days. If he clears, he’ll have the right to elect free agency.
The Jays only signed Corbin a few days ago, as he lingered unsigned in free agency beyond Opening Day. Though he missed spring training, he had been getting stretched out privately. He agreed to be optioned to Low-A Dunedin and tossed five innings at that level on Saturday. Per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet, Corbin will join the Jays tomorrow and will start Friday’s game.
The Jays have Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease lined up to pitch the final two games of the series against the Dodgers. The Jays are off on Thursday and then start a series against the Twins, with Corbin taking the ball the first time through. Assuming Lauer and Scherzer are healthy, they could follow Corbin.
That may be the rotation plan, at least for the short term. Trey Yesavage is on a rehab assignment, working his way back from his shoulder impingement, and should be back in the mix in the coming weeks. José Berríos and Shane Bieber are also on the mend from their injuries, though they are a bit behind Yesavage. Eventually, someone may get pushed to the bullpen or off the roster, depending on health outcomes in the near future.
The injury bug hasn’t just bit the Toronto pitching staff. Outfielder Anthony Santander required shoulder surgery and will miss several months. Catcher Alejandro Kirk required thumb surgery and is slated to miss the next six weeks. Now Barger is also on the shelf, though this issue seems far more minor. Per Zwelling, the Jays are hoping it could be a minimal stint and he might not even need a rehab assignment.
Barger has mostly been playing right field this year. With him now subtracted from the outfield mix, the corners should be covered by some combination of Jesús Sánchez, Nathan Lukes, Davis Schneider and Myles Straw. It’s possible platoon matchups will be the plan, as Sánchez and Lukes are lefties while Schneider and Straw are righties. Fitzgerald, acquired in a cash deal a few days ago, has experience at every spot on the diamond except catcher, so he’ll give them some extra depth all over.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images
Blue Jays Select Josh Fleming, Designate Austin Voth For Assignment
The Blue Jays announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Josh Fleming. Right-hander Austin Voth has been designated for assignment as a corresponding move for both the 40-man and active rosters.
The Jays have been cycling through arms at the back of their roster as a response to the Cody Ponce injury and Eric Lauer having the flu. Lazaro Estrada was initially recalled for Ponce. Lauer was supposed to take the ball on Saturday but got pushed to Sunday because of his illness. The Jays did a bullpen game on Saturday, with Estrada covering four innings. Prior to yesterday’s contest, the Jays optioned Estrada and Brendon Little, calling up Voth and Mantiply for some fresh arms. Lauer did his best to work through his illness but only went two innings, with Voth covering 2 2/3 innings in relief.
Today, the Jays start a tough series against the Dodgers. They have Max Scherzer, Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease slated to start but it’s a tough lineup and the staff has been taxed in recent days. Fleming has been added to potentially cover some length, if need be. Signed to a minor league deal in the offseason, he pitched for Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday. He covered 3 2/3 innings, throwing 57 pitches, so he’s relatively stretched out.
He gets back to the majors for the first time in a couple of years. From 2020 to 2024, mostly with the Rays but also with the Pirates, he worked 254 2/3 innings in 25 starts and 55 relief appearances. He allowed 4.77 earned runs per nine. His 14.6% strikeout rate was well below average and he only averaged about 91 miles per hour on his fastball but he had good control of a five-pitch mix. He only walked 7.5% of batters faced and induced grounders on 58.4% of balls in play. He spent 2025 in the minors with the Mariners.
Fleming is out of options, so it may be a short stay on the roster for him. If he is used against the Dodgers, the Jays may want to bump him off for yet another fresh arm. After this series, they have off-days on April 9th and 13th, giving the staff a chance to breathe. They have Patrick Corbin and Trey Yesavage potentially joining the club soon. Corbin just signed a major league deal and was optioned, tossing five innings in his first minor league outing on Saturday. Yesavage is on the injured list and threw 2 2/3 innings in a rehab outing on Friday.
The quick roster churn was how things played out for Voth. He got up to the big leagues for the first time since 2024, having spent last year in Japan. As mentioned, he helped the Jays out by absorbing 2 2/3 innings yesterday, allowing one earned run via three hits and a walk while recording one strikeout.
Unfortunately, the club has to quickly part ways with him. He has at least five years of service time, meaning he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent, so he now heads into DFA limbo. The Jays will trade him or place him on waivers at some point in the next five days. If he clears waivers, he has enough service time to elect free agency. He has a 4.69 ERA in 363 career big league innings and posted a 3.96 ERA in Japan last year.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
Blue Jays, Josh Fleming Agree To Minor League Deal
The Blue Jays reached agreement with left-hander Josh Fleming on a minor league contract, reports Alden González of ESPN. The Republik Sports client receives a non-roster invite to Spring Training.
Fleming spent last season in Triple-A with the Mariners. The 29-year-old southpaw worked mostly out of the bullpen and struggled to a 4.91 ERA across 84 1/3 innings. He got ground-balls at a 57.8% clip but had an 11.5% strikeout rate, the second-lowest mark among Triple-A pitchers with at least 50 innings. He’s a sinkerballer who barely scrapes 90 MPH while mixing in a cutter, changeup and curveball.
A former fifth-round pick by the Rays, Fleming has spent the majority of his career in the AL East. He pitched for Tampa Bay between 2020-23 and logged the ’24 campaign with the Pirates. He carries a 4.77 ERA across 254 2/3 major league innings. As was the case in Triple-A, he has thrown strikes and gotten a ton of grounders while barely missing any bats at the big league level. He’ll likely begin the season at Triple-A Buffalo as long relief depth.
Players Entering Minor League Free Agency
Major League free agents became eligible to sign with other teams on Thursday, but the minor league free agent market has technically been open since season’s end. MLBTR has published several posts detailing players who had already elected to become minor free agents, but Baseball America’s Matt Eddy (multiple links) has the full account of all the minor league free agents that officially joined their big league counterparts on the open market on Thursday.
This list details only players who have played in the Major Leagues, and whose minor league free agency hasn’t already been covered on MLBTR in the last month.
Athletics: Aaron Brooks, Carlos Duran, CD Pelham, Bryan Lavastida, Nick Martini, Alejo Lopez
Braves: Ian Anderson, Davis Daniel, Enoli Paredes, Amos Willingham, Brian Moran, Jonathan Ornelas, Chandler Seagle, Matthew Batten, Conner Capel
Orioles: Jakson Reetz, Livan Soto, Thaddeus Ward
Red Sox: John Brebbia, Isaiah Campbell, Mark Kolozsvary, Chadwick Tromp, Seby Zavala, Trayce Thompson
Cubs: Yency Almonte, Zach Pop, Caleb Kilian, Austin Gomber, Forrest Wall, Billy Hamilton, Joe Ross, Tommy Romero, Antonio Santos, Tom Cosgrove, Dixon Machado, Nicky Lopez, Carlos Perez
White Sox: Elvis Peguero, Kyle Tyler, Vinny Capra, Chris Rodriguez, Caleb Freeman, Joe Perez, Owen White, Andre Lipcius
Reds: Tejay Antone, Alan Busenitz, Buck Farmer, Josh Staumont, P.J. Higgins, Eric Yang, Levi Jordan, Edwin Rios, Davis Wendzel, Evan Kravetz, Adam Plutko, Charlie Barnes, Alex Young
Guardians: Riley Pint, Tyler Naquin, Parker Mushinski
Rockies: Xzavion Curry, Sean Bouchard, Owen Miller, Karl Kauffmann,
Tigers: Kevin Newman, Brian Serven, Jordan Balazovic, Nick Margevicius, Blair Calvo
Astros: Jon Singleton, Joe Hudson, Kenedy Corona, Greg Jones, Matt Bowman, Luis Contreras, Tyler Ivey, John Rooney
Royals: John Gant, Spencer Turnbull, Bobby Dalbec, Diego Castillo, Geoff Hartlieb, Jordan Groshans, Nick Pratto, Isan Diaz, Stephen Nogosek, Nick Robertson, Joey Krehbiel, Noah Murdock, Ryan Hendrix
Angels: Shaun Anderson, Brandon Drury, Yolmer Sanchez, Ben Gamel, Evan White, Cavan Biggio, Logan Davidson, Travis Blankenhorn, Oscar Colas, Kelvin Caceres, Dakota Hudson, Chad Stevens, Angel Felipe, Jordan Holloway, Victor Gonzalez
Dodgers: Michael Grove, Luken Baker, Giovanny Gallegos, Kyle Funkhouser, Chris Okey, CJ Alexander, Zach Penrod
Marlins: Jack Winkler, Lane Ramsey
Brewers: Luis Urias, Oliver Dunn, Julian Merryweather, Daz Cameron, Drew Avans, Josh Maciejewski, Jared Oliva
Twins: Jose Miranda, Anthony Misiewicz, Jonah Bride, Thomas Hatch, Daniel Duarte, Connor Gillispie
Mets: Joey Meneses, Jose Azocar, Joe La Sorsa, Gilberto Celestino, Ty Adcock, Bryce Montes de Oca, Yacksel Rios, Oliver Ortega, Luis De Los Santos
Yankees: Kenta Maeda, Jeimer Candelario, Rob Brantly, Andrew Velazquez, Jose Rojas, Joel Kuhnel, Wilking Rodriguez
Phillies: Matt Manning, Adonis Medina, Lucas Sims, Jacob Waguespack, Phil Bickford, Rodolfo Castro, Oscar Mercado, Brewer Hicklen, Christian Arroyo, Payton Henry
Pirates: Brett Sullivan, Nick Solak, Nelson Velazquez, Beau Burrows, Ryder Ryan
Cardinals: Zach Plesac, Anthony Veneziano, Tyler Matzek, Zack Weiss, Drew Rom, Aaron Wilkerson
Padres: Eguy Rosario, Tim Locastro, Reiss Knehr, Nate Mondou
Giants: Sean Hjelle, Miguel Diaz, Max Stassi, Sam Huff, Cole Waites, Drew Ellis, Ethan Small
Mariners: Michael Fulmer, Casey Lawrence, Collin Snider, Jesse Hahn, Nick Anderson, Josh Fleming, Austin Shenton, Jacob Nottingham, Beau Taylor, Cade Marlowe, Jack Lopez, Michael Mariot, Hagen Danner
Rays: Cooper Hummel, Jonathan Hernandez, Jamie Westbrook, Tres Barrera
Rangers: Omar Narvaez, Cal Quantrill, Ty Blach, Alan Trejo, Joe Barlow, Cory Abbott, Michael Plassmeyer, Alex De Goti
Blue Jays: Eloy Jimenez, Buddy Kennedy, Joe Mantiply, Elieser Hernandez, Rene Pinto, Adam Kloffenstein
Nationals: Francisco Mejia, Juan Yepez, Joan Adon, CJ Stubbs, Parker Dunshee, Erick Mejia, Adrian Sampson, Delino DeShields
Mariners To Re-Sign Josh Fleming To Minor League Deal
The Mariners are going to sign left-hander Josh Fleming to a minor league deal, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The Republik Sports client also receives an invite to major league spring training.
Fleming, 29 in May, just signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in August. He made 19 appearances for their Triple-A club down the stretch, allowing 4.50 earned runs per nine innings. He didn’t get added to the roster and became a free agent at season’s end, though has now circled back the M’s on a fresh deal.
The southpaw has appeared as a swingman in each of the past five major league seasons, mostly with the Rays but also with the Pirates. He has appeared in 80 major league games, including 25 starts, tossing 254 2/3 innings with a 4.77 ERA. His 14.6% strikeout rate is well below par but his 7.5% walk rate is good and his 58.4% ground ball rate quite strong. Among pitchers with at least 250 innings pitched from 2020 to the present, only five of them have a better grounder rate than Fleming: Clay Holmes, Andre Pallante, Framber Valdez, Emmanuel Clase and Logan Webb.
Fleming’s strikeout rate is far lower than everyone in that group, which has prevented him from posting especially strong results, but he’s been serviceable enough to serve as a solid depth piece. On a minor league deal, there’s no risk for the M’s.
Seattle has a very strong rotation but the depth is a little concerning. Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo are an excellent front five but things get flimsy beyond that. There have been some trade rumors surrounding Castillo this winter, which could lead to Emerson Hancock or Jhonathan Díaz moving up to the number five spot. In the bullpen, guys like Matt Brash and Jackson Kowar are working back from Tommy John surgeries, while Gregory Santos spent most of 2024 on the injured list due to arm issues.
Fleming gives the club a bit of depth for both areas without taking up a roster spot. If he gets added at any point, he is out of options but has less than four years of service time, meaning he could be retained into future seasons via arbitration.
Mariners Sign Josh Fleming To Minor League Deal
The Mariners have signed left-hander Josh Fleming to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Tacoma, as relayed by Tacoma Rainiers broadcast Mike Curto on X (link). Fleming elected free agency on the day of the trade deadline after being designated for assignment by the Pirates the week prior.
Fleming, 28, was a fifth-round pick by the Rays in the 2017 draft and spent his entire career in Tampa prior to the 2024 season. The southpaw made his big league debut back in 2020 and enjoyed a solid rookie season with a 2.78 ERA and 4.40 FIP in seven appearances, including five starts, that totaled 32 1/3 innings of work. Fleming struck out just 19.2% of opponents in that first season as a big leaguer but made up for that with an eye-popping 63.7% ground ball rate. Those strong results led the Rays to offer Fleming an expanded role the following year as he posted a career-best 104 1/3 innings of work in 2021. Unfortunately, the lefty struggled with the larger role and posted a lackluster 5.09 ERA, though it’s worth noting that his 4.27 FIP and 4.36 xFIP both indicate that he pitched better than that top-level run prevention number might otherwise suggest.
After his lackluster 2021 season, Fleming saw his role in Tampa reduced somewhat as he pitched just 35 innings for the big league club in 2022 followed by 51 2/3 innings of work in 2023. Once again splitting time between the bullpen and starting rotation, Fleming pitched to a combined 5.40 ERA with a 5.16 FIP, a 13.8% strikeout rate, and a 7.9% walk rate. He continued to generate grounders at an impressive 61.4% clip in those years until his 2023 season ended early due to a bout of elbow inflammation. The combination of injury concerns and ineffectiveness led the Rays to designate Fleming for assignment, and while he was snapped up off the waiver wire by the Phillies the lefty became a free agent not long afterwards when Philadelphia non-tendered him.
The southpaw ended up remaining in Pennsylvania despite that non-tender, however, as he eventually signed with the Pirates on a split contract back in February. Fleming made the club’s Opening Day roster out of Spring Training and pitched fairly well for Pittsburgh over the first month of the season. Things took a sharp turn for the worse in May, however, as Fleming allowed nine runs (eight earned) in just three innings of work across four appearances before eventually being outrighted off the club’s roster. He remained with the Pirates in the minors and eventually returned to the roster in mid-June. He pitched well for the club following his return with a 1.46 ERA in 12 1/3 innings of work, though he did so with questionable peripherals as he walked more batters (five) than he struck out (four). That led the Pirates to DFA him once again, though this time he decided to return to free agency rather than remain in the minor leagues with Pittsburgh.
Now, Fleming will join a Mariners organization that currently has just one left-handed pitcher (reliever Tayler Saucedo) on the active roster. Gabe Speier and Jhonathan Diaz are both lefty options in the minors already on the 40-man roster, though each has struggled at the big league level this year. That could leave a clear shot at a big league job for Fleming if he can impress Mariners brass with his performance at the Triple-A level, where he’ll have to contend with the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/30/24
Catching up on some minor transactions from around the league…
- Guardians right-hander Spencer Howard has elected free agency after being designated for assignment last week. The right-hander was acquired by Cleveland in a trade with the Giants earlier this month after he had been DFA’d in San Francisco. A second-round pick by the Phillies in the 2017 draft and a former consensus top-40 prospect in the game, Howard has struggled badly at the big league level throughout his career. In parts of five seasons with the Phillies, Rangers, Giants, and Guardians, the righty sports a 7.00 ERA in 144 innings of work with a 5.63 FIP and a 19.9% strikeout rate. In recent seasons, his struggles in the majors have extended to his time at Triple-A, where he now sports a career 4.83 ERA in 143 1/3 frames.
- Pirates left-hander Josh Fleming elected free agency after being designated for assignment last week. Fleming signed a split contract with the club back in February and was outrighted off the club’s roster in May, though he was selected back to the roster last month. Though he struggled in his first stint with the Pirates, he’s looked quite good in 12 1/3 innings of work since returning to the big leagues with a 1.46 ERA, though he’s only notched four strikeouts in that time. Still, teams on the hunt for lefty bullpen depth could consider turning to Fleming on the back of that solid recent work and his strong 58.4% career groundball rate.
- Red Sox right-hander Alex Speas was outrighted to Triple-A after being designated for assignment to make room for catcher Danny Jansen on the club’s 40-man roster. Speas, 26, never appeared at the big league level for Boston after being claimed off waivers from the Astros late last month. Since making his MLB debut with the Rangers last year, the right-hander has just four big league appearances under his belt over which he owns a 9.00 ERA and matching 30% strikeout and walk rates. He’s struggled badly at the Triple-A level for four different organizations this year with a collective 11.47 ERA in 24 1/3 innings of work between the Astros, A’s, White Sox, and Red Sox affiliates.
- Mets right-hander Shintaro Fujinami was outrighted to Triple-A after being designated for assignment to make room for the return of Kodai Senga from the injured list last week. Fujinami boasted impressive strikeout rates in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball but paired that high-octane stuff with control issues. He signed with the A’s during the 2022-23 offseason but struggled badly with them as he pitched to an 8.57 ERA with a 13% walk rate. His 4.85 ERA and 4.13 FIP with the Orioles were more palatable, leading the Mets to sign him to a one-year deal, but he’s struggled to a 10.95 ERA at the Triple-A level this year without pitching in the majors.
Pirates Designate Josh Fleming For Assignment
The Pirates announced that infielder/outfielder Ji Hwan Bae has been recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis and right-hander Hunter Stratton has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list. They opened one roster spot yesterday by placing outfielder Bryan Reynolds on the bereavement list and opened another today by designating left-hander Josh Fleming for assignment.
Fleming, 28, signed with the Bucs in the offseason and now gets the DFA treatment for the second time this year. The first time resulted in him clearing waivers and accepting an outright assignment, which eventually led to his second stint in the big leagues this year.
He has logged 31 1/3 innings for the Pirates between those two stints, allowing 4.02 earned runs per nine. His 54.3% ground ball rate is quite strong but both his 12.3% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk are subpar.
Fleming is out of options and can’t be sent down to the minors without first being exposed to waivers. He was non-tendered by the Rays at the end of last year and signed a deal with the Bucs that pays him $850K in the majors and $240K in the minors. As a player with more than three years of major league service time, he has the right to reject outright assignments in favor of free agency. But since he’s south of the five-year service mark, doing so means forfeiting whatever money he’s still owed. That’s likely why he accepted his assignment the last time Pittsburgh sent him through waivers and why he may do so again.
His numbers this year are fairly similar to his time with Tampa. Overall, he has a 4.77 ERA in 254 2/3 innings. He has struck out just 14.6% of batters faced but has kept walks down to a 7.6% clip and kept balls in play on the ground at a 58.4% rate.
Perhaps some club will be interested in acquiring Fleming in the coming days. With the trade deadline on Tuesday, some teams will be opening holes on their rosters via trade and might need to fill some innings. Fleming could be retained via arbitration for three more years after this one but, as mentioned, he cleared waivers once already this year.