The Dodgers announced Monday that they’ve claimed catcher Anthony Bemboom off waivers from the Angels and right-hander Conner Greene off waivers from the Orioles. In order to open space on the 40-man roster, Los Angeles transferred left-handers Danny Duffy and Clayton Kershaw to the 60-day injured list. The “60-day” minimum on those IL stints for Duffy and Kershaw begin with their initial placement on the IL — July 20 for Duffy and July 7 for Kershaw. Duffy would be eligible to return on Sept. 18 and Kershaw on Sept. 5.
Greene, 26, made his Major League debut with the Orioles this season but was hit hard in 3 2/3 innings. The former Blue Jays, Royals and Cardinals minor leaguer surrendered six runs on seven hits and a walk with five strikeouts in his short time with the O’s and has had a similarly rough go of it in Triple-A this year (7.09 ERA in 20 2/3 frames).
That said, Greene averaged nearly 96 mph with his heater with the Orioles and posted strong swinging-strike and opponents’ chase rates. Greene was a prospect of note for several years, drawing 70 grades on his heater and 55s and 60s on his changeup (on the 20-80 scale). He’s had control problems throughout his minor league tenure (11.2 percent walk rate), but the Dodgers are ostensibly intrigued by his raw stuff and may have their own ideas about how to maximize his potential. Greene can be optioned for the rest of the season but will be out of minor league options in 2022.