The Orioles announced this afternoon that lefty Bruce Zimmermann cleared of waivers and assigned directly to Triple-A. The 29-year-old was named active earlier this week amid a slew of plans that saw the newly acquired southpaw. Trevor Rogers selected in the minor leagues.
Zimmermann was selected by the Braves in the fifth round of the 2017 draft but was traded to the Orioles in the summer of 2018 as part of a package that brought Kevin Gausman again Darren O'Day in Atlanta. The lefty reached the Triple-A level the following year after managing to a 2.58 ERA in 101 1/3 innings of work at Double-A earlier in the year, and that reach to the minors solidified him. making his major league debut with Baltimore in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. That performance didn't go as well as Zimmermann and the Orioles had hoped, however, as he struggled badly with a 7.71 ERA in his seven innings that year.
The left-hander enjoyed a major role with the Orioles over the next two seasons as he moved into a rotation role with the club, though he was limited to about half of a full season's work both years by injuries and occasional trips to Triple-A. Zimmermann's results were about what you'd expect from a part-time starter for the club during a long rebuild, as he struggled to a 5.54 ERA that was 25% worse than the league average with a 5.74 FIP in 138 combined innings. of work in those years.
Zimmermann was removed from the rotation entering the 2023 campaign and spent most of the campaign at the Triple-A level, although he made a brief appearance in the major leagues as a multi-inning reliever that summer. He has performed well in the new role, averaging a below-par 4.73 ERA in his 13 1/3 innings of work but a solid 23% strikeout rate that stands as a big step up from his lackluster 17.4% during his rookie season. the initiator. The lefty has yet to make an appearance in the majors in 2024 after undergoing hamstring surgery last October, though he has returned to the minor leagues where he posted a 4.64 ERA in 66 Triple-A innings. an 8.5% walk rate that is slightly higher than the 5.2% clip he has posted in the major leagues so far in his career.
Now that Zimmermann is off the 40-man roster, he figures to stay with the Orioles as a roster spot until the end of the season, when he'll have the option of free agency if he hasn't been drafted. back to 40 men at the time. The left-hander is in his final option year, which means Baltimore will have a chance to shut him down between Triple-A and the majors as needed if they are going to add him to the roster at some point.
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