Smith elected free agency Thursday, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Smith cleared waivers after the Orioles removed him from their 40-man roster, but he will look for a job elsewhere rather than accepting an outright assignment. The righty collected a 4.95 ERA and 46:12 K:BB over 56.1 innings between the Marlins and Orioles this season.
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Orioles' Burch Smith: Lands on IL with groin strain
Rotowire
The Orioles placed Smith on the 15-day injured list Friday due to a groin strain, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
Smith will be forced to sit for the rest of the regular season, and it's unclear whether the severity of the groin strain will keep him out of action for Baltimore's postseason run. Smith joined the Orioles in late June after being DFA'd and subsequently released by the Marlins. Working out of Baltimore's bullpen, Smith has posted a 5.74 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across 26.2 innings. Southpaw reliever Danny Coulombe (elbow) was activated from the 60-day IL in a corresponding move.
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Orioles' Burch Smith: Sunk by two homers Sunday
Rotowire
Smith (4-1) took the loss Sunday versus the Astros, allowing two runs on two hits and striking out two over one inning.
Alex Bregman and Yainer Diaz went back-to-back on consecutive pitches in the seventh inning, and the Orioles weren't able to bounce back, leaving Smith with his first loss of the year. Smith was pretty effective after initially joining the Orioles in mid-July, but he's now been on the hook for multiple runs in three of his last four appearances. Since Aug. 10, he's allowed 10 runs (nine earned), including five home runs, over seven innings. Smith is now at a 4.84 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 41:11 K:BB overall 48.1 innings between Baltimore and Miami this year.
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Orioles' Burch Smith: Picks up another win
Rotowire
Smith (4-0) allowed a run on one hit over one inning but earned the win Saturday over the Rays.
Smith gave up a game-tying solo home run to Jose Caballero in the seventh inning, but the Orioles retook the lead in the eighth and held on. This was Smith's second appearance in a row during which he's nabbed a win, and he's added two holds despite allowing two runs over 4.1 innings in August. For the year, the right-hander has a 3.83 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 38:11 K:BB over 42.1 innings between the Orioles and the Marlins. Smith is unlikely to see a lot of high-leverage work, but he could be called on in tight spots when the bullpen is thin.
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Orioles' Burch Smith: First win with new team
Rotowire
Smith (3-0) earned the win Wednesday over the Blue Jays, striking out two over a perfect inning.
Smith has maintained a 2.31 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 15:2 K:BB over 11.2 innings since he first joined the Orioles' big-league roster in mid-July. The right-hander has provided some stability to address one of Baltimore's weak spots. Smith has also picked up two holds since the start of August, which suggests he's moving up the leverage ladder. For the season, he has a 3.70 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 38:11 K:BB over 41.1 innings between Baltimore and Miami, but it's clear he's more comfortable with his current team than he was with his previous one.
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Orioles' Burch Smith: Joining Baltimore bullpen
Rotowire
The Orioles selected Smith's contract from Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.
He'll join the Baltimore bullpen as a replacement for right-hander Dillon Tate, who was optioned to Norfolk in a corresponding move. Though he opened the season as a member of the Miami bullpen, Smith was cut in June after he posted a 4.25 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in 29.2 innings. He quickly caught on with the Orioles on a minor-league deal and turned in a pair of scoreless appearances with Norfolk before getting the call back to the majors.
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Orioles' Burch Smith: Links up with Baltimore
Rotowire
Smith signed a minor-league contract with the Orioles on Friday, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.
The right-hander was released by the Marlins last week and didn't take long to latch on with a new organization. Smith posted a 4.25 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 23:9 K:BB over 29.2 innings for Miami this season, and he'll likely fill a low-leverage relief role if he gets called up by Baltimore.
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Burch Smith: Released by Miami
Rotowire
The Marlins released Smith on Thursday.
Smith predictably cleared waivers after being designated for assignment and is now free to sign on with a new organization. The right-hander posted a 4.25 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 23:9 K:BB over 29.2 innings for the Marlins.
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Marlins' Burch Smith: DFA'd by Miami
Rotowire
The Marlins designated Smith for assignment Friday.
The right-hander was acquired from the Rays in late March and posted a 4.25 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 23:9 K:BB over 29.2 innings for the Marlins. Smith could head to Triple-A Jacksonville if he passes through waivers unclaimed.
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Marlins' Burch Smith: Nabs extra-inning win
Rotowire
Smith (1-0) picked up the win Thursday, striking out two in a perfect 10th inning during the Marlins' victory over the Rockies.
Brenton Doyle led off the frame with a sacrifice bunt to put the phantom runner on third base, but Smith fanned Ryan McMahon and Elehuris Montero to deny Colorado a run. The right-hander then got rewarded when Miami walked it off in the bottom of the inning. Smith has seen little high-leverage work this season, adding only one hold to his ledger in 14 appearances, and he sports a 3.31 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 12:7 K:BB through 16.1 innings.
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Marlins' Burch Smith: Lands in Miami
Rotowire
The Marlins acquired Smith from the Rays on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations and selected Smith's contract from Triple-A Jacksonville, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Smith exercised the upward mobility clause in his minor-league deal with Tampa Bay. The 33-year-old will appear in the majors for the first time since 2021, assuming he gets into a game. Smith holds a career 6.03 ERA over 102 appearances (13 starts) across parts of five major-league seasons. He figures to operate in long relief in Miami.
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Rays' Burch Smith: Agrees to minors deal with Rays
Rotowire
Burch signed a minor-league contract with the Rays on Jan. 2.
Smith spent the last two seasons overseas, pitching in Japan in 2022 and in Korea in 2023. The 33-year-old last appeared in the majors in 2021 and holds a career 6.03 ERA and 184:87 K:BB over 191 innings in parts of five seasons at the big-league level.
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Burch Smith: Heading overseas
Rotowire
Smith agreed to a contract with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization on Sunday, Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net reports.
Smith had a 5.40 ERA across 43.1 innings for the A's last season before he was removed from the 40-man roster in September. The 32-year-old has a 6.03 ERA in 102 appearances during his big-league career and will now test his luck overseas.
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Athletics' Burch Smith: Outrighted to Triple-A
Rotowire
Smith cleared waivers Thursday and was outrighted to Triple-A Las Vegas, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Smith owns a 5.40 ERA this season and a 6.03 ERA for his career, so it's no surprise to see him pass through waivers unclaimed. He'll remain with the A's as organizational depth for now.
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Athletics' Burch Smith: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Smith was designated for assignment by the Athletics on Tuesday.
Smith recorded an unimpressive 5.40 ERA in 43.1 innings of relief for the Athletics, striking out just 14.9 percent of opposing batters. As a 31-year-old with a career 6.03 ERA at the highest level, he's unlikely to get claimed off waivers. Domingo Acevedo's contract was selected to fill Smith's place in the bullpen.
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Athletics' Burch Smith: Struggles again Friday
Rotowire
Smith allowed three earned runs on five hits over one inning in a loss to the Yankees on Friday.
The veteran reliever has now given up a total of eight earned runs in his last three trips to the mound, a reminder of why he's been used sparingly since the beginning of July (19.1 innings over 10 appearances). Smith has pitched to a 5.12 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over that span, a far cry from the career-best 2.25 and 0.67 figures he posted in those respective categories in 2020.
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Athletics' Burch Smith: Sparingly used at end of first half
Rotowire
Smith, who owns a 1-1 record, 5.94 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across 24.2 innings, has logged just two appearances since June 26 as the second half of the season begins.
The veteran reliever has been a lot more hittable this season than during an impressive six-appearance debut stint with the Athletics in 2020, and the more frequent stumbles may be starting to cost him some opportunities. Smith has offered some modest fantasy value in deeper formats by notching four holds, but he's also given up multiple earned runs in five appearances and has seen a precipitous drop in strikeout rate from last year's 29.5 percent to 17.1 percent.
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Athletics' Burch Smith: Hit hard in relief
Rotowire
Smith allowed four earned runs on three hits and a walk over one inning in a win over the Angels on Monday. He also hit a batter and recorded a strikeout.
Smith created plenty of trouble for himself during his one frame, allowing the Angels to mount a modest comeback from an 8-1 deficit. The stumble was the latest hiccup in what's turning into a rocky season for Smith, as he's now pitched to a 9.64 ERA, 1.82 WHIP and 1.9 HR/9 across 9.1 innings in his last eight appearances.
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Athletics' Burch Smith: Bouncing back from rough patch
Rotowire
Smith fired a scoreless seventh inning in a loss to the Angels on Sunday, allowing a hit and a walk.
The veteran reliever now has back-to-back scoreless appearances after giving up four earned runs over four innings across the three outings immediately preceding the current stretch. Smith retains some modest value in formats that count holds, as he's amassed three of them while also pitching to an impressive 2.93 ERA and 1.04 WHIP across 15.1 innings.
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Athletics' Burch Smith: Perfect in return
Rotowire
Smith (groin), reinstated from the injured list Saturday, fired two perfect innings during which he recorded two strikeouts in a loss to the Rays on Sunday.
The right-hander encouragingly got his six outs on just 23 pitches, making it a highly successful return after nearly a month on the injured list. Smith should line up for some consistent later-inning work moving forward and now sports a 1.80 ERA and 0.80 WHIP through five innings (three appearances).
