Right-hander Michael Pineda cleared waivers and was granted his release Wednesday after the Detroit Tigers designated him for assignment on Sept. 5.
The 33-year-old has either been hurt or pitched poorly this season, his first with Detroit. Pineda dealt with a fractured right middle finger and right triceps tightness earlier this year, and he tossed just 46.2 innings for the Tigers. Those frames mostly hurt Detroit, as Pineda recorded a 5.79 ERA over 11 starts.
With the Tigers in last place in the American League Central — after entering the season with hopes of contending — the team is now focused on its youth. And so the team parted with the veteran Pineda.
“I hate it for Michael, by the way,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters Sunday when Pineda was designated for assignment. "Nothing worse than telling a veteran of his magnitude and his career that we're moving on from him. But for us, it's time for us to take a look at the guys who have a better chance of being here."
Pineda signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Tigers in March when former general manager Al Avila was still running the team. That deal included several bonuses that Pineda fell short of, including $375,000 for 50 innings pitched, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Petzold also noted that the timing of Pineda's departure means he is ineligible to pitch in the postseason if he signs with another team.
A nine-year pro, Pineda began his career with the Mariners in 2011, but the oft-injured hurler didn't throw another big league pitch until 2014, which followed a trade to the Yankees. Pineda stayed in New York through the 2017 season, which ended with Tommy John surgery for him.
Pineda pitched for the Twins from 2019-2021. He owns a 4.06 ERA over 1,008.2 career innings.
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