Veteran reliever elects free agency

Lefty reliever Rob Zastryzny elected minor league free agency, per his transaction log at MLB.com. He cleared outright waivers after being designated for assignment by the Pirates earlier in the week.

Zastryzny pitched in 21 games for the Bucs this season. He tossed 20 2/3 innings, working to a 4.79 ERA in the largest workload of his big league career. While his fastball averaged a personal-high 93 mph, he struck out a well below-average 15.5% of batters faced. Zastryzny also walked opponents at a lofty 13.4% clip and spent a bit of time on the injured list with forearm inflammation.

The 31-year-old had better underlying numbers with the Bucs’ Triple-A team. His 4.41 ERA over 16 1/3 innings wasn’t far off his big league mark, but he had a solid 23.9% strikeout percentage while walking a microscopic 1.5% of batters faced. He kept the ball on the ground at a 45.8% clip.

Zastryzny has been outrighted a few times in his career, which gave him the right to test free agency. He wouldn’t be eligible for postseason play if he catches on with another club for the rest of the season. It wouldn’t be surprising if he turns his attention to a 2024 landing spot this late in the year.