The Los Angeles Dodgers announced they selected the contract of reliever Jake Reed and designated outfielder Steven Souza Jr. for assignment.
Reed originally was a fifth-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins in 2014 out of the University of Oregon. He remained in the Twins organization until 2020 when he signed a Minor League contract with the Los Angeles Angels.
After not playing in 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the righty began 2021 with the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake City, making eight appearances and posting an 8.44 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in 10.2 innings before being released on June 2.
The Dodgers quickly picked him up, inking him to a Minor League contract and assigning him to Triple-A Oklahoma City on June 4. Reed has been much better since joining the Dodgers organization, yielding a 2.61 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with 11 strikeouts and one walks across nine appearances (10.1 innings).
That has earned Reed his first big league callup and whenever he makes his first appearance with the Dodgers, that will be his Major League debut.
As for Souza, he had his contract purchased last month after getting off to a strong start with OKC. He wasn’t able to keep that going with the Dodgers, however, hitting just .160/.250/.360 with a home run and two RBI in 13 games. He did have one memorable moment, hitting a go-ahead home run against his former team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, shortly after being called up on June 18.
The hope is that he will be able to clear waivers and return to Triple-A, although given his .279/.444/.603 slashline in 22 games with OKC earlier in the year and previous Major League success, it would not be surprising to see another team claim him.
While it’s tough to see a veteran like Souza go, it’s clear that the Dodgers need some bullpen help right now given the current state of their starting rotation. They had a bullpen game on Sunday against the Washington Nationals and are now scheduled for another against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.
Dodgers sign Feliz to Minor League contract
In addition to calling up Reed, the Dodgers also added some bullpen depth at the Minor League level by reportedly signing veteran reliever Neftali Feliz to a Minor League contract.
He has a ton of previous Major League experience and had been pitching well in Triple-A this year, so perhaps he could be another option down the road.
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