The Dodgers acquired the right-handed pitcher. Brent Honeywell Jr. It has been noted that he was granted waivers by the Pirates. Mark Feinsand of MLB.comLA will have to make changes to its 40-man roster in response, but those have yet to be announced.
Honeywell, 29, is best known for his time in the Rays system as a top prospect. A lengthy series of injuries, including Tommy John surgery and multiple elbow fractures, limited Honeywell to just 103 1/3 innings of professional play from 2018-2022. Still, the right-hander made it to the majors with the Padres last year. He pitched a respectable 4.05 ERA in 46 2/3 innings with San Diego, but was cut from the roster late last summer and dealt to the White Sox. He gave up seven runs in just 5 2/3 innings during his brief stint with the South Side before leaving the team as a free agent over the winter.
Honeywell signed a deal with Pittsburgh in February. Minor League Contract He began the season in the team’s Triple-A affiliate. During his time in the minor leagues, he pitched 39 innings with a 4.85 ERA, 19.6% strikeout rate, and 10.1% walk rate. However, despite this somewhat lackluster performance, he was briefly promoted to the major leagues, where he excelled in his limited time playing, posting a 2.70 ERA in 3 1/3 innings. However, in this game, he walked one more batter than he struck out. Honeywell Assigned to He was released yesterday after a few days in the major leagues, but it looks like he’ll get another chance at the major league level with the Dodgers.
In Los Angeles, Honeywell will continue to work to bring out the talent that made him a top prospect during his time in Tampa. In 2017, the right-hander was one of the top prospects in baseball, posting a 3.64 ERA and 2.84 FIP while striking out 29.1% of batters he faced and walking just 5.9% in 24 starts at the Triple-A level. At this point, he’s a few years removed from those impressive numbers, but his experience last year with the Padres showed that he can still be an effective relief pitcher, even with his strikeout rate (20.6% with San Diego) and walk rate (9.8%) now lower.
The Dodgers’ relief corps has been one of the best in all of baseball this year, but has struggled a bit in recent weeks. Since the start of June, the team’s relief ERA has been solid at 3.46, but their FIP of 4.18 is in the bottom 10 in the major leagues, and it’s possible their performance could worsen as the season progresses. The addition of Honeywell should provide the team with at least one more pitcher in the final few weeks before the trade deadline, which should help keep their relief options fresh as the Dodgers will likely consider other additions in the coming weeks.
