Orioles roster move proves this reliever really blew his chance

The name says all you need to know.
Baltimore Orioles v New York Yankees
Baltimore Orioles v New York Yankees | Evan Bernstein/GettyImages

The Baltimore Orioles are churning through bullpen arms as the end of the season approaches, their latest roster move seeing veteran right-hander Scott Blewett activated from the 60-day IL and consequently designated for assignment. Right-hander José Espada has joined the Orioles' Major League pitching staff, and Chayce McDermott has been placed on the bereavement list.

After posting a 1.77 ERA in 12 appearances with the Kansas City Royals last season, Blewett had a difficult time staying in place this season, making stops with the Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves before his current run with the Orioles.

Scott Blewett couldn’t escape the name as Orioles decided to move on from the veteran relief pitcher

Being sidelined since the middle of July with an elbow injury, Blewett has become an afterthought for an Orioles' pitching staff that was torn down at the MLB trade deadline. Before the injury, Blewett held a 6.17 ERA in a tick over 23 innings pitched. Nothing to write home about, and as the Orioles look for arms to bridge the gap to the end of the season, the 29-year-old veteran was the odd man out.

Over the course of the final week of the regular season, the Orioles likely will be looking to get a look at some arms who could be potential bullpen options in 2026. Espada has a chance to check that box.

Espada only has one career appearance to his name, completing a scoreless inning of work with the San Diego Padres in 2023, and is a former fifth-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2015. What jumps out when looking over Espada's minor-league career is his ability to miss bats.

Joining the Orioles' organization last month, Espada carried a 5.94 ERA at Triple-A before his promotion but struck out over 36% of the hitters he faced. If Espada can channel that success at the Major League level to close out the season, he could be on the inside track to finding a role on the team's pitching staff next season.

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