The Orioles announced that right-hander Scott Blewett has been designated for assignment. The move opens up a 26-man roster spot for Brandon Young, whose first promotion to the majors was reported on yesterday.
Blewett was only just claimed off waivers from the Twins earlier this week, and his brief time in the orange-and-black has seen the righty throw 4 1/3 scoreless innings over two relief appearances, striking out six of 19 batters faced. Despite the impressive small sample, Blewett again finds himself in DFA limbo, likely owing to his lack of remaining minor league options.
It is a familiar story for Blewett, who has a 1.53 ERA in 29 1/3 big league innings with the Twins and Orioles over the last two seasons but is still looking to find a steady foothold for himself in the Show. His secondary metrics (such as his hard-contact rates) aren’t particularly impressive, and likely hold a greater sway for front offices than Blewett’s strong bottom-line results. Blewett also hasn’t stood out in the upper minors, posting a 6.93 ERA in 219 1/3 career innings at the Triple-A level.
Should Blewett clear waivers, he has the right to reject an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk and opt into free agency, since he has previously been outrighted in his career. One would imagine another team in need of bullpen help could have interest in claiming Blewett away from Baltimore and giving him a longer look against MLB hitters, just as the O’s plucked him off Minnesota’s roster a few days ago.