Baez was released by the Dodgers on Saturday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.
Baez was an effective high-leverage reliever for the Dodgers several seasons ago, though he wasn't able to latch onto a role in the majors in Los Angeles or Houston this season. He'll look for his next opportunity around the league, which is likely to come on a minor-league deal.
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Dodgers' Pedro Baez: Shifts to Triple-A
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Baez joined the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.
Baez signed on for his second stint with Los Angeles on May 20, and he pitched five games in the Arizona Complex League before being shifted to Oklahoma City. The veteran reliever made his Triple-A debut on his first day with the club and gave up two runs on three hits and a walk over two-thirds of an inning, but he was better his second time out, tossing a scoreless frame Saturday. However, his fastball averaged just 90 mph in that contest, per Stephen, which is in line with the considerable velocity drop he experienced before being released by the Astros. Baez will likely need to find a way to boost his fastball back up or to show prolonged success with a diminished arsenal before he's brought back up to the big leagues.
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Dodgers' Pedro Baez: Heading back to LA
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Baez agreed to a minor-league deal with the Dodgers on Thursday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
The veteran right-hander was let go by the Astros in late April and will now have a reunion with the Dodgers. Baez allowed three runs over 2.1 innings for Houston this season, but the larger issue is that his fastball velocity averaged only 89.1 mph, which is a far cry from the mid-90s fastball he featured only two years ago. He was a staple of the Los Angeles bullpen and had a 3.03 ERA with 100 holds from 2014 to 2020, but since then he's fallen off considerably and will need to illustrate he's worthy of another chance in the big leagues.
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Pedro Baez: Let go by Houston
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The Astros released Baez on Thursday after he went unclaimed off waivers, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.
As anticipated, none of MLB's other 29 teams were willing to put in a waiver claim for Baez, who was designated for assignment Tuesday less than a month into his second season with Houston after he signed a two-year, $12.5 million deal in January 2021. The Astros ended up getting just seven relief appearances from Baez, who missed most of his inaugural campaign in Houston with a shoulder injury. He reported to spring training at full health but showed a considerable decline in his velocity, with his fastball averaging just 89.1 miles per hour over his three appearances this season. Considering that he routinely worked in the mid-to-upper-90s during his prime years with the Dodgers in the second half of this past decade, the 34-year-old Baez may have a tough time re-emerging as an effective reliever at the big-league level.
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Astros' Pedro Baez: DFA'd by Houston
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Baez was designated for assignment by the Astros on Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Baez has appeared in only three games over the first few weeks of the season and gave up three earned runs on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts over 2.1 innings. The 34-year-old signed a two-year, $12.5 million deal with Houston in January of 2021, but he only ended up pitching 4.1 frames last year before his early struggles in 2022.
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Astros' Pedro Baez: Shaky in Grapefruit League debut
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Baez (back) made his Grapefruit League debut Tuesday against the Nationals, issuing two walks while striking out one in a scoreless inning.
A bout with COVID-19 along with shoulder and back injuries limited Baez to just four appearances with the big club in 2021, but he was expected to report to spring training at full health. However, given that Baez didn't make his debut until more than two weeks into camp, it's fair to question whether he's in optimal condition as Opening Day draws closer. Though he was able to escape his lone inning of work unscathed, he threw just 11 of his 23 pitches for strikes and sported a fastball that sat in the 88-90 mph range, according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. That's roughly on par with his average fastball velocity during his injury-plagued 2021 campaign, but well below the mid-90s heat he routinely averaged over the prior seven seasons with the Dodgers. Even if Baez is deemed good to go for Opening Day, the Astros may not entrust him with handling high-leverage work right off the bat.
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Astros' Pedro Baez: Ruled out for season
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Baez (shoulder) won't pitch again this season, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Baez began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sugar Land in late September, and he's allowed four runs on seven hits and no walks in 2.2 innings across three appearances with the minor-league club. However, manager Dusty Baker said Saturday that the right-hander won't rejoin the major-league roster in 2021. As long as he remains on track during the offseason, Baez will likely be ready for the start of spring training in 2022.
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Astros' Pedro Baez: Begins rehab assignment
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Baez (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Baez began a throwing program in early September, and he'll return to game action just under a month after he was placed on the injured list with shoulder soreness. The right-hander is unlikely to require many rehab appearances, so he should be in the mix to rejoin the Astros' bullpen before the end of the regular season.
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Astros' Pedro Baez: Completes mound session
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Baez (shoulder) tossed a bullpen session Sunday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Baez continues to advance through a throwing program as he works through a setback with the right shoulder injury that has kept him on the shelf for most of the season. Assuming he continues to progress over the next week, Baez should have an outside shot to make it back for the final week of the regular season. If he does in fact get activated from the 10-day injured list before the regular season concludes, Baez's initial appearances could amount to a de facto audition for the Astros' postseason roster.
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Astros' Pedro Baez: Starts throwing program
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Astros manager Dusty Baker said Monday that Baez (shoulder) has resumed throwing off flat ground, Adam Spolane of Sports Radio 610 Houston reports.
Baez has been on the 10-day injured list since Aug. 24 after aggravating the shoulder injury that kept him sidelined to begin the 2021 campaign. He'll likely need to complete some sort of rehab assignment or series of simulated games before returning from the IL, so Baez is realistically at least a week away from being activated.
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Astros' Pedro Baez: Placed on IL with shoulder soreness
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Baez was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with shoulder soreness, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.
Baez made his season debut Aug.10 after being sidelined for the entire season with a shoulder injury. He's allowed just one run across 4.1 innings since returning, but his move back to the IL doesn't come as a huge surprise given his velocity was down in recent outings. The transaction is retroactive to Sunday, so Baez will be eligible to come off the injured list Sept. 1, though it's possible he'll need more time to recover. Bryan Abreu was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land to take his roster spot.
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Astros' Pedro Baez: Diminished velo
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Baez experienced diminished fastball velocity during his outing Tuesday against the Rockies, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.
Baez was activated off the injured list Tuesday and made his first appearance of the season, throwing a scoreless inning of relief. Looking deeper, however, the zip on his fastball was down a few ticks. His first fastball was 89 mph, and it lived between 89 and 92 mph throughout the inning. That was down from the 94 mph he averaged in 2020, which was down from the 95-96 mph average from 2018-2019. The Astros inked him during the offseason to pitch high-leverage innings, but that may not be the case with such a drastic drop in velocity. The team can get by with Kendall Graveman filling the eighth-inning role.
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Astros' Pedro Baez: Returns from IL
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Baez (shoulder) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The righty made eight rehab appearances, totaling eight strikeouts and allowing a pair of runs in nine innings. Baez has not pitched in the big leagues this season due to a spring training shoulder injury, although he's now healthy and ready to make his 2021 debut in Houston's bullpen. He appeared in 18 games for the Dodgers in 2020, posting a 3.18 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 17 innings. Rafael Montero (shoulder) was placed on the IL in a corresponding move Tuesday.
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Astros' Pedro Baez: Finishes off shutout
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Baez allowed one hit and struck out one over a scoreless ninth inning in Tuesday's 5-0 win over Colorado.
Baez was reinstated from the 60-day injured list earlier in the day and made his season debut. He was sidelined by a shoulder injury sustained while building up following a bout with COVID-19 in the spring. Baez had been expected to be a key contributor when he signed a two-year, $12.5 million deal during the offseason, and his absence was felt as Houston's bullpen struggled for much of the season. The Astros have since added bullpen reinforcements, and the unit has pitched much better since the trade deadline. Baez could work into a seventh-inning role along with Ryne Stanek.
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Astros' Pedro Baez: Pitches on consecutive days
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Baez (shoulder) made rehab appearances Thursday and Friday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.
Baez allowed a run on a hit and a walk while striking out one in two innings across his two appearances, and he'll be re-evaluated Saturday. The Astros have treated back-to-back usage as the final step in rehab assignments for relievers this year, so the right-hander is close to returning from the 60-day IL.
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Astros' Pedro Baez: Needs back-to-back use
Rotowire
Baez (shoulder) had been scheduled to throw back-to-back days this week for Triple-A Sugar Land, but Tuesday's game was rained out.
The Astros want to see Baez throw on back-to-back days before re-evaluating him. Thus far, Baez's rehab has gone smoothly with the right-hander posting a 1.29 ERA with seven strikeouts and two walks over seven innings.
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Astros' Pedro Baez: Moving rehab to Triple-A
Rotowire
Baez (shoulder) will report to Triple-A Sugar Land to begin a rehab assignment Thursday or Friday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.
The veteran right-hander completed a bullpen session Tuesday after returning from his two-game rehab stint with High-A Fayetteville, and he'll continue the rehab assignment in the upper minors. Baez has yet to pitch for Houston this season while returning from a shoulder injury, and he told Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle that he'll likely need two more weeks in the minors before being activated.
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Astros' Pedro Baez: Scheduled for bullpen in Houston
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Baez (shoulder) will head to Houston on Tuesday to throw a bullpen session in front of major-league staff, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Baez is currently on a rehab assignment at High-A Fayetteville, for whom he made a second appearance Sunday, walking one and striking out one over a scoreless inning. If all goes well Tuesday, the Astros are expected to move his rehab to Triple-A Sugar Land. He has not pitched for Houston this season after contracting COVID-19 during spring training and injuring his shoulder while building back up.
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Astros' Pedro Baez: Has first rehab outing
Rotowire
Baez (shoulder) allowed one hit over a scoreless inning for Low-A Fayetteville on Thursday.
Baez was expected to have a significant bullpen role when he signed as a free agent during the offseason, but a bout with COVID-19 and then shoulder soreness have kept him on the shelf until now. The Astros need relief stability beyond closer Ryan Pressly, and Baez could provide it soon.
