Dodgers Keep Recently Cut Reliever in Organization, Assign Him to Triple-A

Maren Angus-Coombs | Aug 23, 2024

David Frerker-USA TODAY Sports

The past few days have been tumultuous for Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Brent Honeywell. On Tuesday, he went unclaimed on waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City, according to the MLB.com transaction log.

On Wednesday, he accepted his outright assignment.

After a nice run in the Dodgers bullpen and subsequently clearing waivers following his DFA, Brent Honeywell accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A in lieu of free agency. Arrived in OKC today and will likely be active tomorrow.

— Alex Freedman (@azfreedman) August 21, 2024

Honeywell's designation for assignment came as the Dodgers needed to make room for prospect Ben Casparius, who was called up for the series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals to provide bullpen depth.

Even before Casparius was added, the Dodgers faced a roster crunch, making Honeywell a likely candidate for a DFA as more players prepared to return from the 60-day injured list.

Despite this move, Honeywell had found success with the Dodgers since being claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It was somewhat surprising that Honeywell went unclaimed on waivers, especially since joining a new team before Sept. 1 would have made him eligible for the postseason. Given his prior experience with being designated for assignment, Honeywell had the option to reject the Dodgers' assignment and become a free agent.

However, he chose to report to Triple-A Oklahoma City instead.

Earlier this month, the Dodgers similarly retained Nick Ramirez, who cleared waivers after being designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster following trade deadline additions.

With the recent return of Ryan Brasier, the recent activation of Blake Treinen on Wednesday, and Brusdar Graterol expected to pitch again soon, it's likely that Honeywell will finish the season with the Oklahoma City Baseball Club.

#Dodgers activate Blake Treinen from the IL and send Ben Casparius back to OKC. Casparius didn't pitch in the three games he was with LAD. But he potentially cost them Brent Honeywell Jr. who was DFAed to make room for Casparius

— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) August 22, 2024

Honeywell posted a 0-1 record with a 2.21 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 10 appearances for the Dodgers.

Before joining the Dodgers, Honeywell spent less than a week with the Pittsburgh Pirates, appearing in just two games. He pitched a scoreless inning in his 2024 debut and allowed one run over 2.1 innings on July 10.

Once a top prospect in the Rays’ system, Honeywell faced numerous injuries that delayed his shot at the big leagues. Last season, he finally got his opportunity, pitching 52.1 innings in relief for the San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox.

Honeywell delivered solid middle relief numbers with San Diego but struggled during his time with Chicago, ultimately costing him his roster spot. This led him to sign a minor league deal with the Pirates during the offseason.

Honeywell has a 4.26 ERA across 80.1 innings over parts of three MLB seasons. He'll be eligible for minor league free agency at the start of the offseason unless the Dodgers call him back up.

On Thursday, Honeywell threw two scoreless innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City against the El Paso Chihuahuas, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one.