The Dodgers have selected the contract of right-hander Neftali Feliz and optioned southpaw Andrew Vasquez to Triple-A Oklahoma City, per a club announcement.
Feliz, 33, was with the Dodgers for a scoreless inning earlier this season but was designated for assignment and outrighted to Oklahoma City after clearing waivers. The 2010 American League Rookie of the Year made his first MLB appearance since 2017 earlier this season with the Phillies but was hit hard in three innings before being cut loose.
While he’s struggled in limited big league action this season, Feliz has been nothing short of dominant in a hitter-friendly Triple-A setting. He’s logged a combined 38 innings between the top affiliates for the Phillies and the Dodgers, pitching to an overall 2.13 ERA with a massive 40.1 percent strikeout rate, a 9.2 percent walk rate and just 25 hits allowed (albeit five home runs).
There’s no guarantee this will be anything other than another very brief look for Feliz, even with his dominance in Triple-A. The L.A. bullpen has been overpowering over the past month, collectively pitching to an MLB-best 1.99 earned run average in that time. Six different relievers — Blake Treinen, Kenley Jansen, Phil Bickford, Alex Vesia, Brusdar Graterol and Justin Bruihl — have pitched at least 10 innings with an ERA of 2.63 or better over the past month. In the past 30 days, the “worst” ERA for any Dodgers reliever who has appeared in multiple games is Joe Kelly’s 4.15. With such a strong showing from the relief corps as a whole, Feliz may have a hard time sticking around, though the expansion of rosters from 26 to 28 players helps his cause.
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