A’s lose reliever to waiver claim
Righty Wendelken picked up by Arizona
Former A’s relief pitcher J.B. Wendelken was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
At one point, Wendelken was seen as an integral part of Oakland’s bullpen. But Wendelken was designated for assignment to make room for left-handed pitching prospect A.J. Puk on the active roster on Tuesday.
The A’s couldn’t have been surprised that Wendelken didn’t clear waivers. The right-hander struggled this season, held back by a month-long oblique injury. But the 28-year-old put together enough strong outings in 2020 and 2019 to garner plenty of interest from other teams. The Diamondbacks’ 35-79 record was Major League Baseball’s worst as of Wednesday, which meant they were high on the waiver wire priority list.
Wendelken had a 3.58 ERA in 32 2/3 innings in 2019 and a 1.80 ERA, 31 strikeouts and 11 walks in 25 innings pitched for the A’s in 2020. In 25 innings in 2021, Wendelken’s ERA jumped to 4.32 with 26 strikeouts and 13 walks. He struggled to find his footing after suffering an oblique strain on May 2.
Though Burch Smith could have been an option
to clear a roster spot — he has one minor league option left and has made only six appearances since July 1 — his 3 1/3 innings of scoreless ball in relief of Sean Manaea on Tuesday showed why he stayed on the roster. Keeping options who are able to eat a few innings out of the bullpen was paramount.
“We had to open a spot; sometimes you have difficult moves to make,” manager Bob Melvin said on Tuesday.
A.J. PUK’S REVIVAL » Puk was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, equipped with a new, Randy Johnsonesque arm slot. The 6-foot-7 left-handed pitcher lowered his arm slot by 4-6 inches and saw his velocity tick back up to 97-98 mph, the velocity he had when he made his debut out of the bullpen in 2019. After shoulder surgery this offseason, Puk returned to the mound this spring with a fastball velocity ranging in the low-to-mid 90s mph.
Puk landed on the IL with a shoulder injury after one appearance with the A’s this April and was optioned to Las Vegas immediately after he was reinstated in May. Puk pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts against the Cleveland Indians in his return on Tuesday.
“It’s the arm angle, I think, that looks a lot freer for him,” Melvin said after the A’s 4-3 extra-inning win. “It just doesn’t look like he has to work as hard to get it straight over the top. I know he says he feels better with it and for a first look, I can understand why he feels good with it.”
Puk’s lowered arm slot helped him to a 1.89 ERA and 20 strikeouts in his last 19 innings in Las Vegas after posting a 9.42 ERA in 14 innings in June and a 10.80 ERA in 6 2/3 innings in May.
Puk is expected to pitch out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season, with the rotation intact and Daulton Jefferies the next up in case of emergency. Puk is third on the left-handed reliever depth chart, with Jake Diekman and newly acquired Andrew Chafin the go-to high-leverage lefties out of the bullpen. Puk, though, could work his way into more innings and bigger spots.
“We have two lefties before him in more prominent roles late in games,” Melvin said on Tuesday. “Whether he gives us length or pitches himself into a different spot, it’s probably more behind games or need a couple innings. At least to start.”
JOSH HARRISON’S FINGER » Josh Harrison left midway through Tuesday’s game after being hit on the right hand with a pitch. X-rays were negative, Melvin said after the game, but Harrison was left off Wednesday’s lineup as a precaution.
“He’s better. Still pretty sore. We’ll see how he is tomorrow,” Melvin said of Harrison. “He was going to get a day off during the stretch here anyway. Hopefully it’s not too long. He’s a pretty tough kid. But it got him pretty good last night.”