Blazek cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Fresno on Saturday, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.
Blazek was designated for assignment as the Nationals made three deadline-day additions to their bullpen Wednesday. He's allowed four runs in five big-league innings this season, striking out zero batters while walking five.
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Nationals' Michael Blazek: Delay in callup
Rotowire
Blazek will not be called up for Sunday's contest as originally reported, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Dougherty's report suggests Blazek is still likely to join the team, though after Sunday's contest so the team can more easily make space on the 25-man roster. Blazek has posted a 5.54 ERA with Triple-A Fresno this season, though his 28:10 K:BB across 26 innings suggests he's deserved better results.
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Nationals' Michael Blazek: Contract selected by Nationals
Rotowire
Blazek's contract was selected by the Nationals on Monday.
The 30-year-old has thrown 123 career big-league innings, recording a respectable 4.39 ERA. He's been out of the league since 2017. In 26 frames for Triple-A Fresno this season, he owns a poor 5.54 ERA.
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Nationals' Michael Blazek: To be called up
Rotowire
Blazek will have his contract selected by the Nationals on Sunday, Jamal Collier of MLB.com reports.
Blazek signed with the Nationals on May 13 but has not pitched in the majors since 2017. His results at Triple-A Fresno have been mixed, as he has a 5.54 ERA but a 28:10 K:BB across 26 innings. He is not currently on the 40-man roster.
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Nationals' Michael Blazek: Picked up by Washington
Rotowire
Blazek had his contract purchased by the Nationals on Monday.
Blazek had been playing independent ball in the American Association, but he'll head to Triple-A Fresno after the Nationals bought out his contract. He last surfaced in the big leagues with Milwaukee during the 2017 season.
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Michael Blazek: Resurfaces in indy ranks
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Blazek signed a contract Thursday with the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.
Blazek will look to restart his career in the independent ranks after he was unable to secure a minor-league deal heading into 2019. The 30-year-old has appeared in 109 career games at the MLB level but pitched exclusively in the minors in the Diamondbacks organization last season, accruing a 4.05 ERA and 18:5 K:BB in 13.1 innings between three affiliates.
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Diamondbacks' Michael Blazek: Shipped to minors
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The Diamondbacks reassigned Blazek to their minor-league camp Monday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.
Blazek stuck around in big-league camp to the bitter end, but he was unable to usurp lefty T.J. McFarland for the final opening in the Arizona bullpen. The 29-year-old Blazek worked as a swingman in the minors with the Brewers' organization last season, but it's expected that he'll work in relief on a full-time basis at Triple-A Reno in 2018.
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Diamondbacks' Michael Blazek: Inks minor-league deal with Diamondbacks
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Blazek signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Monday, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports.
Blazek split time with Triple-A Colorado Springs and the Brewers in 2017, compiling a respectable 3.71 ERA across 85 innings with the Sky Sox but struggling to an 8.31 ERA in 8.1 innings with the big club. He should get a chance to compete for a spot in the Diamondbacks' bullpen in spring training, though even if he breaks camp with the big club, he likely won't be tabbed for anything other than low leverage work.
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Michael Blazek: Elects free agency
Rotowire
Blazek will become a free agent and hit the open market following the conclusion of the 2017 season.
Blazek made five appearances with the Brewers this season, allowing eight earned runs in 8.2 innings, including a disastrous start against the Nationals in late July which ended up being his last big-league outing of the year. The 28-year-old was a solid contributor at the Triple-A level for Colorado Springs, and will likely latch on with another organization in the hopes of making the 25-man roster next year.
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Brewers' Michael Blazek: Outrighted to Colorado Springs
Rotowire
Blazek was outrighted to Triple-A Colorado Springs on Wednesday.
The reliever was designated for assignment by the Brewers on Sunday, and after passing through waivers, will remain with Colorado Springs moving forward. Throughout the course of the 2017 season in the big league, Blazek has accumulated a 8.31 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 8.2 innings of work, including a disastrous appearance as a starter in Washington on July 27.
The Brewers needed to make room on their 40-man roster for the recently acquired Neil Walker. Blazek was hit with the DFA after posting an 8.31 ERA over 8.2 innings with the big-league club and a 3.73 ERA over 72.1 innings with Triple-A Colorado Springs. He'll remain with Colorado Springs if he passes through waivers unclaimed.
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Brewers' Michael Blazek: Shipped back to Colorado Springs
Rotowire
Blazek was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs on Friday.
Blazek got mauled for six home runs in his first big-league start, so now that he's unavailable to pitch for a few days, he'll retreat to the minors to let a fresh arm head to the big leagues. Paolo Espino will replace him on the active roster, although Blazek could be back soon given how well he pitched out of the bullpen for Milwaukee this season.
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Brewers' Michael Blazek: Serves up six bombs in Thursday's massacre
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Blazek (0-1) was shelled Thursday afternoon in Washington, giving up eight runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out four in 2.1 innings pitched on his way to the loss.
To oppose Max Scherzer in your first MLB start is daunting enough, but the Washington offense was simply ruthless to Blazek. The right-hander was done in by six home runs allowed, including five in the third inning. Blazek hadn't allowed a run in four relief appearances prior to Thursday's massacre, so some of his struggles may be able to be pinned on it being his first start in a while. If Matt Garza (lower leg) is indeed ready to make his next scheduled start, Blazek will likely move back into a bullpen role once he's ready to pitch again.
Brewers' Michael Blazek: Tabbed for spot start Thursday
Rotowire
Blazek will start Milwaukee's game against the Nationals on Thursday.
A vacancy was created in the rotation after Matt Garza (lower leg) was placed on the disabled list, and given that Blazek was a starter in the minors this season, he was a logical choice to fill in. The right-hander will tackle the tall task of facing Max Scherzer in the first start of his major-league career.
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Brewers' Michael Blazek: Returns to majors
Rotowire
Blazek was recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs on Tuesday.
Blazek has been stellar as a swingman in the minors this season, so he'll head back to the majors to provide some bullpen depth. The right-hander also has two scoreless appearances and three strikeouts in four innings in the majors this season. He'll fill Tyler Webb's spot in the relief corps, as Webb was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
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Brewers' Michael Blazek: Bumped down to Triple-A Colorado Springs
Rotowire
Blazek was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs on Thursday.
After coming up to join Milwaukee's bullpen on July 3, Blazek will head back down to Colorado Springs following two appearances at the big-league level. He tossed scoreless outings during both times on the mound, going a combined four innings against the Cubs and Orioles, with just two opposing batters finding their way on base. The 28-year-old could find his way back into the Brewers' bullpen in the near future, especially given his success during this stint with the club.
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Brewers' Michael Blazek: Added back to 40-man, active roster
Rotowire
The Brewers selected Blazek's contract from Triple-A Colorado Springs on Monday.
Paolo Espino was optioned back to Triple-A following Sunday's game against the Marlins after he was needed to cover two innings in relief, so Blazek will join the Brewers for the first time this season to provide a fresh arm out of the bullpen. Given the lack of success Blazek had with the Brewers while making 41 appearances in 2016, it's unlikely that he'll be entrusted with much more than mop-up work initially.
