After spending the majority of the season in the Los Angeles Dodgers Minor League system, Robbie Erlin exercised an opt-out clause in his contract and elected free agency.
Erlin appeared in just two games for the Dodgers, first by serving as the 27th man for a doubleheader on May 7 against the Chicago Cubs, and after surrendering two runs to the Pittsburgh Pirates the following day, the club designated him for assignment.
Erlin cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he spent the rest of the year. Erlin logged 77 innings over 14 starts, while posting a 7.01 ERA.
Erlin’s main purpose for the Dodgers was to provide innings while in OKC, and a veteran arm is never a bad thing to have when there are young, talented arms on the cusp of reaching the Majors.
The 32-year-old was once considered a top-35 prospect back in 2011, but since trended downward and will be in search of his fifth MLB team in four seasons.
Erlin signed a Minor League contract with the Dodgers back in March.
Dodgers prospect begins offseason training
Prior to the 2023 season getting underway, Erlin and other Dodgers players not on the 40-man roster were working out at Camelback Ranch, when top prospect Diego Cartaya launched a towering homer off of the lefty.
Cartaya has since advanced his repertoire and is the current No. 9 overall prospect in baseball after seeing time with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga and High-A Great Lakes this season. The backstop posted a combined .254/.389/.503 batting line with 22 home runs, 72 RBI and 74 runs scored in 95 games.
With the offseason underway for Minor League players, Cartaya posted clips of recent workouts while training with Hector Alvarez, a catching coach within the New York Mets organization. Cartaya could make his MLB debut for the Dodgers late in 2023, but most likely in 2024.
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