Tigers Sign Matt Wotherspoon To Minors Deal
The Tigers signed right-hander Matt Wotherspoon to a minor league contract, MLB Daily Dish’s Andersen Pickard tweets. Wotherspoon will join the roster at Triple-A Toledo. Detroit originally drafted Wotherspoon as a 20th-round pick back in 2013, though he chose to remain in college for another year, not turning pro until the Yankees took him in the 34th round of the 2014 draft.
The 27-year-old Wotherspoon made his Major League debut earlier this season, tossing 4 2/3 innings over two games with the Orioles without much success, as he posted a 15.43 ERA over his brief taste of the Show. He was also twice outrighted off Baltimore’s 40-man roster before being released by the O’s last week. Over 455 1/3 career innings in the farm systems of the Orioles and Yankees, Wotherspoon has a 3.62 ERA, 9.5 K/9, and 2.93 K/BB rate, though he has struggled to 5.54 ERA over 65 frames at Triple-A Norfolk this season.
Orioles Release Matt Wotherspoon, Josh Lucas
The Orioles have released righties Matt Wotherspoon and Josh Lucas, per an announcement from the club’s top affiliate. Neither presently held a 40-man roster spot.
The Baltimore organization has continued to cycle through arms at the MLB level, with an obvious need for depth. But the churn has also created a roster squeeze in the upper minors, which perhaps explains these moves.
Wotherspoon, 27, got his first MLB look earlier this year but failed to impress in a brief showing. He’s sporting a 5.54 ERA in 65 innings of Triple-A ball, with 9.3 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9.
As for Lucas, he has seen big-league time in two prior big-league seasons in addition to two stints this year with the O’s. The former 21st rounder twice accepted outright assignments but wasn’t on tap for a return to the MLB roster after managing only a 6.85 ERA in 23 2/3 frames with Norfolk.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/11/19
The latest minor moves from around the game…
Most Recent
- The Orioles‘ Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk announced several roster moves today, including the news that right-hander Matt Wotherspoon was outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers. Wotherspoon was designated for assignment last week, and this marks the second time this season that the O’s outrighted him off their 40-man roster. Now in his sixth pro season, Wotherspoon made his Major League debut earlier this year, getting hit hard for eight earned runs over 4 2/3 innings for Baltimore.
Earlier Today
- Brewers right-hander Deolis Guerra cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A San Antonio, per MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy (Twitter link). The 30-year-old Guerra made just one appearance with the Brewers after having his contract selected, wherein he was hammered for four runs in two-thirds of an inning. Ugly as that outing was, Guerra has been excellent in an extraordinarily hitter-friendly Triple-A environment in 2019: 2.61 ERA, 10.5 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 1.09 HR/9 in 41 1/3 innings of relief. It seems the well-traveled Guerra will remain in the organization as a depth piece; he had the right to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, but there’s no indication he plans to do so.
- Lost in the All-Star shuffle on Tuesday was the Indians‘ announcement that righty Chih-Wei Hu cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Columbus. Hu, 25, was originally signed by the Twins as an amateur free agent out of Taiwan but was traded to the Rays in 2015 (for Kevin Jepsen) and then to the Indians this past offseason (for minor leaguer Gionti Turner). Hu pitched 23 innings of 3.52 ERA ball with a 21-to-7 K/BB ratio for Tampa Bay in 2017-18, but he’s been rocked for a 7.95 ERA while allowing 2.96 HR/9 in 48 2/3 innings in Triple-A this year. Hu had a 4.06 ERA and solid K/BB numbers in parts of four prior seasons of Triple-A ball prior to 2019, and he’ll strive to get back to that level of performance while no longer occupying a 40-man roster spot.
Orioles Select Asher Wojciechowski, Designate Matt Wotherspoon
The Orioles announced today that they have selected the contract of just-acquired hurler Asher Wojciechowski. He’ll take the roster spot of fellow right-hander Matt Wotherspoon, who was designated for assignment.
In other roster machinations, the Baltimore organization reinstated righty reliever Josh Lucas from the 10-day injured list. To create space, the team optioned Tom Eshelman, who took a spot start for the club yesterday.
The O’s had selected Wotherspoon to the roster in late June, but he was tagged for eight earned in just 4 2/3 innings over two appearances. He’s through 34 1/3 innings of 4.93 ERA ball at Triple-A, where he carries 10.8 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9.
Orioles Select Matt Wotherspoon
The Orioles have selected the contract of righty Matt Wotherspoon from Triple-A Norfolk, the club reported. It’ll be the second O’s stint this season for the 27-year-old, who was outrighted off the 40-man after clearing waivers in April.
The former Yankee farmhand has exhibited consistent bat-missing ability after converting full-time to the bullpen before the 2016 season. In 40 1/3 IP for Norfolk this season, the righty set down nearly ten and a half men per nine with a solid 2.90 BB/9. Wotherspoon’s grounder rates do hover at the low end of the spectrum, though, and it’ll be a challenge to keep ball in yard in Baltimore’s hitter-friendly home park.
The move is the latest in the desperate quest for anything approaching reliability in the Baltimore ‘pen. Among regulars, only Paul Fry and Shawn Armstrong have accrued 0.2 fWAR or more on the season, with over a half-dozen names having cost the club an estimated two full wins in ’19.
Orioles Outright Matt Wotherspoon
The Orioles announced over the weekend that right-hander Matt Wotherspoon has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Norfolk, thus freeing a spot on the 40-man roster. Baltimore had only recently selected Wotherspoon’s contract, but the 27-year-old’s first exposure to the Majors and to a 40-man roster both proved brief.
A 34th-round draft pick of the Yankees back in 2014, Wotherspoon appeared in just one game with the Orioles, pitching two innings and yielding three runs on four hits and a walk. He’s spent parts of four seasons at the Triple-A level, where he owns a combined 3.55 ERA with 9.5 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and 1.0 HR/9 159 2/3 innings of work. Baltimore originally acquired the righty under former general manager Dan Duquette, when they traded a portion of their international bonus pool to the Yankees in exchange for Wotherspoon.
With the move, the Orioles’ 40-man roster is now at 39 players.