The Athletics added another arm to a bullpen that badly needs one, claiming right-hander Taylor Rashi off waivers from the Twins, the team announced.
Rashi now lands with his third organization of the season. The Diamondbacks dealt him to Minnesota for cash considerations in early June, and he never got into a game for the Twins.
Instead, he spent the last two months at Triple-A St. Paul before Minnesota removed him from the 40-man roster to clear room for shortstop prospect Kaelen Culpepper, who was promoted to the majors on Friday.
Rashi’s numbers in St. Paul were a mixed bag: a 4.76 ERA, a 28.7% strikeout rate and an 11.3% walk rate over 17 innings. That was enough for the Twins to move on, and now the A’s get a look at a pitcher who could be useful in the right setting.
Whether he joins Oakland’s active roster right away is another question. Rashi still has a full slate of minor league options left, so the club has some flexibility with how it handles him. That flexibility may matter, because the A’s are dealing with the league’s worst bullpen ERA at 5.68.
The 30-year-old has only 20 major league innings on his résumé, including 3 2/3 with Arizona this season. In the majors, he’s averaged about 91 mph on his fastball and posted a 5.40 ERA with a 29.9% strikeout rate and a 10.3% walk rate. His Triple-A track record has been far better, with a 3.22 ERA across 114 2/3 innings.
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