The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Wednesday morning that right-handed relief pitcher Matt West was reassigned to Minor League camp following the club’s loss to the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night at Surprise Stadium.
West posted a 2.70 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and had four strikeouts in 6.2 innings pitched over seven relief appearances. He was involved in a scary scene on Sunday as a fastball got away from him and struck Rymer Liriano on the face.
Liriano was taken to a local hospital, sustained multiple facial and nasal fractures, and will begin the season on the disabled list.
The Toronto Blue Jays designated West for assignment last May and soon after traded him to the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations.
West threw a combined three scoreless innings and had two strikeouts over two games against the San Francisco Giants in June. He was DFA’d by the Dodgers in July to clear space on the active roster for Brandon Beachy.
The right-handed reliever accepted an outright assignment and went on to appear in games with Triple-A Oklahoma City and Double-A Tulsa, plus pitch in one game for the Rookie Arizona League Dodgers prior to the 2015 season coming to an end.
In 14 games with the OKC Dodgers, West went 1-1 with a 7.83 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 23 innings (14 games). He was 1-1 with a 0.56 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in 12 games with the Drillers.
West was among several Minor Leaguers who became a free agent last November, though he re-signed on a Minor League contract that same month. West had a 6.75 ERA, 2.38 FIP, 1.75 WHIP and three strikeouts over three games (four innings) with the Texas Rangers in 2014.
