Dodgers Release Ian Thomas, Outright Two
The Dodgers have made a trio of roster moves, releasing left-hander Ian Thomas and outrighting righties Yaisel Sierra and Layne Somsen off the 40-man roster, reports Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Updated Dodgers depth chart]
Thomas, whom the Dodgers designated for assignment Thursday, originally joined the team via trade with the Braves last summer. He logged a combined 23 1/3 innings with the two clubs in 2015 and posted a 3.86 ERA with 23 strikeouts against 11 walks. Thomas racked up quality numbers early this season for the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate — 1.42 ERA, 22 strikeouts and five walks in 19 innings — but has been on the minor league disabled list since mid-May because of tendinitis in his left shoulder.
The Dodgers claimed Somsen off waivers from the Yankees on June 22 and subsequently designated him Friday. Somsen’s only major league action came earlier this season as a member of the Reds, with whom he threw 2 1/3 innings and gave up five earned runs. The 27-year-old has been far better this season in the minors, where he has put up a 1.44 ERA with 10.4 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9 across 25 Triple-A frames.
Los Angeles signed Sierra – a Cuba native – to a deal worth upward of $30MM in February, making him easily the most interesting name in this group. The move hasn’t gone according to plan, though, as the 25-year-old has disappointed at the High-A level this season. In 49 innings, Sierra has run up a 4.69 ERA with 6.05 K/9 against 3.70 BB/9.
Dodgers Place Kershaw, Pederson On DL; Designate Layne Somsen
The Dodgers announced a series of moves today, brought about by injuries to Clayton Kershaw and Joc Pederson. It had been expected already that Kershaw would hit the DL with a back issue, though Pederson’s outlook wasn’t yet clear since his recent shoulder injury.
Replacing that duo will be newly-acquired righty Bud Norris and outfielder Will Venable. Norris came over via trade just yesterday, while Venable had previously been outrighted after signing with the team as a free agent.
Venable’s addition required a 40-man spot, and Somsen took the fall. He has now resided in DFA limbo on three separate occasions this year, with organizations clearly enamored of the arm but finding it hard to keep him on their big league rosters.
[Related: Updated Dodgers Depth Chart]
It goes without saying, but both Kershaw and Pederson are of critical importance to Los Angeles. In the case of the former, manager Dave Roberts said today that a timeline remains unclear (via MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM; Twitter link). The skipper says that Kershaw will likely to be out for more than the 15-day minimum.
Pederson, meanwhile, has been diagnosed with a sprained A/C joint, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets. It’s not yet clear how long he’s expected to miss, but obviously he’ll now be down for at least the next two weeks.
Dodgers Claim Layne Somsen
The Dodgers have claimed righty Layne Somsen off waivers from the Yankees, per a club announcement. New York had claimed him from the Reds earlier in the year but designated him for assignment when a roster need arose.
[Related: Updated Dodgers Depth Chart]
Somsen, 27, did not even reach professional ball until his age-24 season, but has moved steadily up the ladder since. He was knocked around in two appearances at the major league level this year, but has shown an interesting arm in the minors. After posting quality results at each stop along the way, Somsen owns a 1.44 ERA with 10.4 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9 across his 25 Triple-A frames on the year.
Yankees Designate Layne Somsen For Assignment
The Yankees announced that they’ve designated right-hander Layne Somsen for assignment in order to clear a spot on the roster for first baseman Ike Davis, whose previously reported Major League deal is now official.
The 27-year-old Somsen was claimed off waivers from the Reds in late May and assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He’s posted a combined 1.44 ERA with 10.4 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9 in 25 innings between the Triple-A affiliates for New York and Cincinnati and also made his big league debut for the Reds this season, surrendering five runs in 2 1/3 innings. A 22nd-round pick by the Reds in 2013, Somsen has a strong 2.42 ERA in 189 2/3 career minor league innings to go along with a 193-to-77 K/BB ratio.