The Dodgers announced Monday that De Fratus joined the Triple-A Oklahoma City staff as a bullpen coach, signaling the end of his playing career.
De Fratus inked a minor-league contract with the Dodgers last winter, but he never had the opportunity to pitch for the organization in 2020 after he wasn't included in Los Angeles' 60-man roster pool following the cancellation of the minor-league season. He'll now transition into coaching, concluding a career that included 191 MLB relief appearances from 2011 through 2015, all with the Phillies. De Fratus retires with a career 7-6 record and 4.08 ERA.
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Justin De Fratus: Let go by Dodgers
Rotowire
The Dodgers released De Fratus on Sept. 1.
De Fratus was assigned to the Dodgers' Double-A affiliate in Tulsa coming out of spring training, but he never got the chance to appear for the club after the 2020 minor-league season was cancelled. The Dodgers chose not to include him in their 60-man roster pool prior to summer camp before ultimately cutting De Fratus loose so he could pursue opportunities elsewhere. De Fratus last appeared in the majors in 2015, when he tossed 80 innings over 61 relief outings with Philadelphia.
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Dodgers' Justin De Fratus: Re-signs with Dodgers
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De Fratus agreed Saturday with the Dodgers on a minor-league contract, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
De Fratus will stick around in the organization after splitting time between Triple-A Oklahoma City and Double-A Tulsa in 2018. Between the two stops, the 31-year-old compiled a 4.74 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 93 strikeouts across 133 frames.
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Dodgers' Justin De Fratus: Named pitcher of the week
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De Fratus was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week on Monday, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.
At the major-league level, De Fratus was last seen posting a 5.51 ERA in 80 innings of relief for the Phillies back in 2015. Now 30 years old, De Fratus is with his fourth organization since that time and is now a starting pitcher, having made the switch in the Mariners' organization last season. In five starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City this year, the veteran has a 2.76 ERA. Even if injuries open a path back to the big leagues for De Fratus, don't expect much. His strikeout rate at Triple-A is just 10.9 percent, so it's difficult to see him being very effective against major-league hitters.
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Dodgers' Justin De Fratus: Latches on with Dodgers
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De Fratus signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Saturday, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.
De Fratus will likely serve as organizational pitching depth for the Dodgers. The 30-year-old hasn't pitched in the majors since 2015, and he spent all of the 2017 campaign with Double-A Arkansas, compiling a 4.85 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across 98.1 innings.
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Mariners' Justin De Fratus: Joins Mariners
Rotowire
De Fratus was assigned to Double-A Arkansas on Thursday after the Mariners purchased his contract from the Atlantic League.
The 29-year-old hasn't seen the majors since 2015, though he has a good number of big-league innings under his belt with the Phillies. De Fratus owns a career 4.08 ERA across five seasons (194 innings) with the Phillies, and given he spent 2016 in the minors with three different organizations, he doesn't appear to be anything more than an organizational depth piece.
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Padres' Justin De Fratus: Inks MiLB deal with Padres
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De Fratus signed with the Padres on a minor league contract Wednesday, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The 29-year-old spent 2016 with three different organizations, but he has a good number of major league innings to his name from his time with the Phillies. However, his career ERA sits at a lofty 4.08, and given that he was not extended an invitation to major league spring training, De Fratus projects as nothing more than an organizational depth piece moving forward.
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Rangers' Justin De Fratus: Heads to Rangers
Rotowire
De Fratus will join the Rangers organization as the player involved in a deal that sent infielder Pat Kivlehan to the Mariners several weeks ago, TR Sullivan of MLB.com reports.
De Fratus will head directly to Triple-A Round Rock to continue his 2016 campaign. He's been effective during his stay with the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate, posting a 3.21 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over 28 innings. The 28-year-old right-hander has also made several appearances in the majors in his career, so he may be on the Rangers' radar if the big league roster needs another pitcher down the road.
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Mariners' Justin De Fratus: Will start season in the minors
Rotowire
De Fratus has been reassigned to minor league camp, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports.
De Fratus had been brought on as a non-roster invite, and as expected, will begin the season in the minors. The 28-year-old reliever got off to a bit of a rusty start this spring, posting a 9.45 ERA over five appearances.
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Justin De Fratus: Signs minor league deal with Mariners
Rotowire
De Fratus signed a minor league deal with the Mariners on Friday that includes an invite to major league spring training, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports.
De Fratus inked a one-year deal with the Mariners earlier in the offseason but was released on Wednesday after having some underwhelming outings this spring (6.0 IP, 4.50 ERA, four strikeouts and three walks). He'll rejoin the Mariners' organization on a minor league deal and figures to add bullpen depth at Triple-A Tacoma, but he will be back in major league camp for the time being.
Justin De Fratus: Released by Mariners on Wednesday
Rotowire
De Fratus was released by the Mariners on Wednesday, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports.
De Fratus had appeared in four Spring Training gamest thus far, but had trouble breaking 89 on the radar gun with his fastball. He had given up three earned runs across six innings while holding a 4:3 K:BB ratio. After a tough year with the Phillies last year, De Fratus may struggle to find another MLB option, but should surface in an organization somewhere.
Mariners' Justin De Fratus: Inks major league deal with Mariners
Rotowire
De Fratus signed a one-year, $750,000 contract with the Mariners on Wednesday, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports.
While De Fratus struggled mightily throughout 2015, posting a 5.51 ERA across 61 appearances, he's earned a major league contract on the strength of his overall track record at the big-league level. The right-hander had a 2.39 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 2014 (54 appearances), and sub-4.00 marks in each of the previous two seasons. He will likely push for a front-end bullpen role in spring training.
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Pitcher Justin De Fratus elects free agency
Rotowire
Right-hander Justin De Fratus has elected free agency, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
The Phillies outrighted De Fratus earlier in the week after a disappointing season -- his ERA jumped more than three run from 2014 -- and he has decided to explore opportunities elsewhere rather than remain in the organization. De Fratus doesn't have the stuff to ever be a reliable back-end arm, but he figures to at least receive an invite to spring training with another club.
