Right-handed pitcher Butch Smith, 34, is back in the majors after being released by the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO after just one game due to injury.
Miami recalled right-hander Shawn Anderson from the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp to start against the Washington Nationals on April 15 (KST).
To make room for Anderson, Miami designated reliever Smith for assignment (DFA). If a team claims him off waivers, he can be moved while keeping his existing contract.
If no team wants him, he will be assigned to the minors or released. According to MLB Trade Rumors, Smith has fulfilled the five years of service time during the DFA period and has the right to decline to go to the minors and become a free agent with the remaining $1 million of this year’s salary.
Smith is infamous among Korean baseball fans as a “glass body” pitcher. 스포츠토토 He was highly touted as an ace after signing with Hanwha last year for $1 million ($100,000 signing bonus, $700,000 salary, $200,000 incentive) under the new foreign player cap, but his season ended in ruins due to injuries from the opening game.
On April 1 last year,
Smith voluntarily left the game against Gochuk Kiwoom after complaining of shoulder pain during the third inning, but a medical examination revealed a micro-damage to his shoulder muscle that didn’t affect his pitching. He played catch while receiving injections, but was unable to progress beyond that, and Hanwha decided to release him early on April 19, unwilling to wait. Three hits, one walk, two strikeouts, and two runs on 60 pitches in 2⅔ innings in the opening game was all Smith had left in Korea.
As disappointed Hanwha fans took to social media to criticize him, he fired back. He was released after one game with a message that read, “Good luck in a shitty country,” and left Korea with a bitter taste in his mouth.
Smith resumed pitching in the Dominican Winter League over the winter and signed a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. He didn’t make the opening day roster after an exhibition game, but Miami acquired him in a cash trade. He made Miami’s opening day roster, marking his return to the big leagues after a three-year absence.
In all 25 games this season,
Smith has pitched 29⅔ innings in relief, posting a 2-1 record with a 4.25 ERA and 23 strikeouts. On the surface, that doesn’t sound bad, but the numbers don’t lie, with a 1.62 WHIP and a 3.02 K/BB ratio. In June, he struggled mightily, giving up five earned runs in three straight games and a 10.38 ERA in 4 1/3 innings, and was eventually designated for assignment.
Anderson, who also received a major league call-up over Smith, is a former KBO player who was released during the season by the KIA Tigers last year. 토토사이트 순위 He was recalled from the Texas Rangers in the middle of last month, then DFA’d 11 days later, and was given his first start of the season in Miami, where he was given his first loss of the season, giving up seven runs on 10 hits (one homer) with one walk and seven strikeouts in two innings against Washington.