Orioles Designate Scott McGough For Assignment
The Orioles have announced that they’ve designated righty Scott McGough for assignment. The move clears space for infielder Paul Janish, who the Orioles have added to their roster to provide Manny Machado with a bit of shortstop help for their doubleheader against the Athletics today. The O’s also optioned lefty T.J. McFarland to Triple-A Norfolk.
The Orioles claimed McGough from the Marlins last month, then sent him to Norfolk, where he struggled in six appearances. For the season, McGough has allowed 12 runs and six walks while striking out seven over 8 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old made six relief appearances for the Marlins last season.
Orioles Claim Scott McGough From Marlins
The Orioles have claimed right-hander Scott McGough off waivers from the Marlins, the club announced (on Twitter). The 26-year-old McGough was designated for assignment yesterday after Miami claimed lefty Eric Jokisch from the Cubs.
The 2015 season marked McGough’s big league debut, during which he tallied 6 2/3 innings of work but allowed seven runs. Miami originally picked up McGough alongside right-hander Nathan Eovaldi in the 2012 trade that sent Hanley Ramirez to the Dodgers. In addition to his brief MLB debut last season, McGough pitched across three different minor league levels in what was a return campaign from 2014 Tommy John surgery. Splitting time between Class-A Advanced, Double-A and Triple-A, he posted a 1.93 ERA with 5.3 K/9, 3.9 BB/9 and a 50.8 percent ground-ball rate in 37 1/3 innings of work. McGough has made just one start in the minors (plus two in the Arizona Fall League), so he’s presumably viewed strictly as bullpen depth by the Orioles, who now have 39 players on their 40-man roster.
Via MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko, Orioles GM Dan Duquette offered the following take on his organization’s newest right-hander (Twitter link): “McGough is a good competitor and should be able to support our major league bullpen if needed this year.”
Marlins Claim Eric Jokisch From Cubs, Designate Scott McGough
The Marlins announced this morning that they have claimed left-hander Eric Jokisch off waivers from the Cubs and optioned him to Triple-A New Orleans. In order to clear a spot for Jokisch on the 40-man roster, the Marlins have designated right-hander Scott McGough for assignment.
Jokisch, 26, was the Cubs’ 11th-round pick back in 2010 and made a brief appearance in the Majors in 2014, tallying 14 1/3 innings with a 1.88 ERA and a 10-to-4 K/BB ratio. Baseball America rated Jokisch as Chicago’s No. 22 prospect following that 2014 campaign, though he fell off that list this past offseason following a 4.37 ERA with 5.0 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 70 Triple-A innings. The Marlins currently have veterans Craig Breslow and Chris Narveson as the left-handed options in manager Don Mattingly’s bullpen, as workhorse lefty Mike Dunn is battling a forearm issue and recently suffered a setback. Jokisch gives the club another option on the 40-man roster should the need for more left-handed relief arise.
As for McGough, the 26-year-old debuted with the Marlins last season but yielded seven runs in 6 2/3 innings of work. Miami originally acquired him alongside right-hander Nathan Eovaldi in the 2012 trade that sent Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate to the Dodgers. McGough missed the 2014 season due to Tommy John surgery and returned to the mound last season, working to a combined 1.93 ERA across Class-A Advanced, Double-A and Triple-A in the minors. He averaged 5.3 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9 in that time to go along with a 50.75 percent ground-ball rate, via MLBfarm.com.