The Orioles announced that they’ve activated shortstop J.J. Hardy from the 60-day disabled list. To clear space on the 40-man roster, the club designated left-hander Andrew Faulkner for assignment.
Hardy has been out since fracturing his wrist in mid-June, with that absence eliminating any possibility that his 2018 option would vest. He has also struggled to a .211/.248/.308 slash line with just three home runs this year, so Baltimore surely will pay Hardy a $2MM buyout rather than picking up the option at $14MM.
Indeed, Hardy will also return to quite a different situation for the present season. The O’s struck gold when they picked up Tim Beckham from the division-rival Rays at the trade deadline, and he figures to continue taking primary duties at short this year and in the future. Hardy will presumably function mostly as a utility infielder.
The O’s will run the risk of losing Faulkner, who had been slated to join the team’s contingent of players going to the Arizona Fall League. He saw action at the major-league level in each of the prior two seasons with the Rangers, but had not been called up since joining the Orioles organization at the end of camp this year. In 38 2/3 innings at Triple-A Norfolk, the southpaw worked to a 2.79 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 5.6 BB/9.
Why would you DFA this guy?
Why not Mike Wright?
Holy cow- the guy is 40 and can’t get anyone out.
Who are you talking about? Wright is 27 and projects to be an above average reliever. As long as the O’s have stopped thinking of him as a starter, he could be a solid bullpen piece for the next five years.
Oh, and why DFA Faulkner? Msybe nearly 6 BB per 9 IP at AAA had something to do with it.
Mike wright is about the only guy down there on the 40 we shouldn’t DFA. His control at the ML level has been great in his small sample size, just given up too many HRS. If you keep him in the bullpen he can at least be an effective middle reliever. You can DFA Asher first although I think we’ve cleared out all the extra pitching on the 40 man.