Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Casey Fien cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City. As a result, Fien is no longer on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster, which now sits at 39 players — with that number excluding those on the 60-day disabled list.
Fien was previously optioned to OKC on May 9. The Dodgers claimed the right-hander off waivers from the Minnesota Twins on May 7. Fien posted a 7.90 ERA, 6.74 FIP and 1.76 WHIP in 14 relief appearances with the Twins this season.
He fell victim to the longball, allowing five home runs in just 13.2 innings pitched. However, Fien’s 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings is his highest average since 2013.
Last season, Fien posted a 3.55 ERA, 3.45 FIP and 1.09 WHIP over 62 games (63.1 innings pitched). Minnesota primarily used him as a setup man from 2013-15, but Fien had since been relegated to middle and long relief.
Fien allowed one run on three hits, but had three strikeouts in his debut with Oklahoma City on Wednesday. He entered in the ninth inning of what ended as a 9-5 win for the Dodgers’ affiliate.
In parts of seven seasons with the Detroit Tigers (2009-10) and Twins (2012-16), Fien has a 4.05 career ERA, 3.71 FIP, 1.14 WHIP and averages 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and third baseman Justin Turner recently lauded the right-hander for his competitiveness.
