Now-former Minnesota Twins pitcher Oliver Ortega has been claimed off waivers by the Houston Astros.
Chandler Rome of 'The Athletic' had the information on social media:
The Astros claimed right-hander Oliver Ortega off waivers from the Twins. He’s on the 60-day injured list.
There is no 60-day injured list anymore until spring training starts, so since the Twins couldn't fit Ortega back on the 40-man roster, they placed him on waivers.
Perhaps the Twins felt Ortega was expendable given the power arms in their bullpen. Jhoan Duran is one of the most electric arms in all of baseball, while Griffin Jax also emerged this season as a reliable arm in the 'pen.
This claim is ironic though given that the Astros just beat the Twins in the ALDS and knocked them out of the playoffs.
Ortega, 27, is a Dominican Republic native. He's appeared in the majors in parts of three seasons with the Angels and Twins. He made 10 appearances for Minnesota this year, going 0-1 with a 4.30 ERA. Lifetime, he has a 4.03 ERA over 45 appearances.
MLBTradeRumors has more on his possible appeal to the Astros:
The Astros are likely intrigued by Ortega’s strong work in Triple-A this year, as he had an ERA of 1.82 in 34 2/3 innings at that level. He struck out 32.6% of batters faced, walked just 7.4% and kept the ball on the ground at a 48.1% rate. Ortega has yet to reach arbitration and has one option season remaining, allowing him to serve as a cheap depth arm with roster flexibility for the Astros.
More must-reads: