The Rays introduced that they’ve claimed right-hander Joel Kuhnel off waivers from the Brewers. Milwaukee designated him for task a few days in the past. The Rays already had three vacancies on their 40-man roster, so their rely climbs to 38.
Kuhnel, 29, has been featured within the pages of MLB Commerce Rumors loads of instances this yr however hasn’t been in a position to issue into many MLB video games. He began 2024 on the Astros’ roster however was designated for task, outrighted and elected free company earlier than re-signing with Houston on a minor league deal by the top of January. He was chosen again onto their roster in April however then designated for task once more later that month.
He then went to the Blue Jays in a money deal however that membership saved him on non-compulsory task for a number of weeks earlier than he was designated for task and elected free company as soon as once more. He landed with the Brewers on a minor league deal and was twice chosen to that membership’s roster however each stints resulted in him being designated for task with out him pitching in a recreation.
Round all of these transactions, he solely has one look within the large leagues this yr, when he allowed 4 earned runs in two innings for the Astros. However in his 27 1/3 minor league innings, he has a 2.30 earned run common. His 15% strikeout fee is subpar however he’s racked up large numbers of floor balls.
That’s usually been the recipe for Kuhnel in his profession. He has 85 2/3 large league innings general, most of that with the Reds. His 6.30 ERA in that point clearly isn’t nice, neither is his 19% strikeout fee, however he has saved 52.2% of balls in play on the bottom and has clearly attracted the eye of a number of golf equipment across the league.
The Rays have a bunch of open roster spots proper now. Up to now month, they’ve traded Aaron Civale and Phil Maton. Additionally they designated Chris Devenski for task and put Yandy DÃaz on the restricted record as a consequence of an undisclosed private matter. Tyler Zuber was chosen to take a kind of spots however they nonetheless had three accessible and have now used considered one of them on Kuhnel.
Kuhnel averages within the mid-90s with each of his fastballs and in addition throws a slider and a changeup. On condition that velocity and pitch combine, maybe golf equipment across the league consider there’s room to coax some extra strikeouts out of him, along with his floor ball tendencies. He’s additionally in his ultimate choice yr and might subsequently be despatched to the minors for the remainder of this season. His service time rely is between one and two years, so he may very well be a long-term piece if issues break proper.
