The Pirates activated Wentz on Thursday after he was claimed off waivers Tuesday from the Tigers.
Wentz was designated for assignment by the Tigers on Friday, but finds himself back on an active roster Thursday. In his last seven appearances, he has pitched 10.1 innings and had shutout outings in all but one of them. The one blemish in the stretch was when he gave up four earned in one inning against the Cubs on Aug. 22. To make room for Wentz on the active roster, Domingo German was designated for assignment Thursday.
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Pirates' Joey Wentz: Claimed by Pittsburgh
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The Pirates claimed Wentz off waivers from the Tigers on Tuesday.
Wentz was used as a full-time reliever this season for the first time, holding a 5.37 ERA and 60:27 K:BB over 55.1 innings. The left-hander is under team control through 2029 and is still just 26, so the Pirates thought he was worth a shot. Wentz is out of minor-league options, so he will report directly to the major-league club.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Scrubbed from 40-man roster
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The Tigers designated Wentz for assignment Friday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Wentz struck out three over two scoreless frames in Thursday's loss to the Angels, but he had mostly struggled of late with a 5.66 ERA since July 1. The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for the return of Casey Mize (hamstring) from the 60-day injured list.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Pitches well Thursday
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Wentz tossed two scoreless innings of relief in Thursday's 3-0 loss to the Angels. He allowed one hit and struck out three.
Wentz has struggled lately, as he entered Thursday's contest with a 7.07 ERA over his previous 10 appearances, making this a welcome positive performance. The southpaw had a solid April, posting a 0.87 ERA across 10.1 innings that suggested he might emerge as an effective reliever, but it's been mostly downhill since then. Wentz didn't fare much better as a starter in 2023, so he may not factor into Detroit's plans beyond this year.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Earns first career save
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Wentz tossed three scoreless innings of relief to earn the save in Tuesday's 15-1 win over the Mariners. He walked one and struck out three.
It was about the easiest first career MLB save imaginable for Wentz, as he entered the game with that 15-1 lead already established. The lefty came into the night with a 6.57 ERA and 2.11 WHIP since the start of July, so it was refreshing to see him pitch well, even in the low-leverage spot. Wentz has limited fantasy value moving forward, however, given his middle-relief role and lack of consistency.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Allows two more runs Friday
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Wentz allowed two runs on four hits across 2.1 innings of relief in Friday's 9-3 loss to the Twins. He walked one and struck out three.
The Tigers turned to Wentz for some length after starter Keider Montero allowed six runs over five innings, and he continued his recent struggles. Wentz has allowed runs in his last five appearances and his season ERA has climbed to 5.73. While Detroit may have some rotation spots open up in the near future if it trades one or both of Jack Flaherty and Tarik Skubal, Wentz likely wouldn't be a reliable fantasy option if he took on a starting role.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Takes loss Tuesday
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Wentz (0-2) allowed three runs on three hits across two innings of relief to take the loss Tuesday against the Guardians. He walked two and struck out three.
With the Tigers making the contest a bullpen game, Wentz entered after Tyler Holton and Alex Faedo each tossed 1.2 innings. Wentz struggled, with Jose Ramirez punctuating the poor outing with a solo shot. The lefty had a 0.87 ERA after six April appearances, but it's mostly been downhill since then, and he now has a 5.62 ERA overall. Wentz had a 6.90 ERA working primarily as a starter last year, so his recent track record doesn't provide much optimism that things will turn around anytime soon.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Looking better lately
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Wentz tossed a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts in Wednesday's loss to Atlanta, extending his streak of scoreless outings to four.
Wentz has had an up-and-down season, though he's trending upward recently. The lefty had a 1.08 ERA across his first 11 appearances, then posted a 16.00 ERA over his next six games before his current scoreless streak started. Overall, Wentz has a 5.34 ERA, and he's mostly off the fantasy radar as a low-leverage reliever despite his better results lately.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Takes first 2024 loss
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Wentz (0-1) allowed three runs on four hits across 2.2 innings of relief to take the loss Wednesday against the Rangers. He walked four and struck out two.
Detroit starter Kenta Maeda left the game after throwing just two pitches due to right abdominal discomfort, which forced Wentz into action earlier than usual. The lefty struggled, particularly from a control standpoint, and sustained his first loss of the season. Wentz got off to a good start in his new relief role, logging a 0.61 ERA across his first nine appearances of the year, but he's fallen apart since then. Over his last eight outings, Wentz has an ugly 17.00 ERA, and he has virtually no fantasy value as a sputtering long reliever.
Wentz allowed five runs on five hits out of the bullpen while not retiring a single batter in Monday's 8-3 loss to the Royals.
Wentz had his first true disaster outing of the season, which included allowing his first home run of the year to Salvador Perez. The lefty came into the game with a stellar 1.08 ERA but departed with that figure up to 3.78. One bad appearance doesn't undo nearly two months of solid play, though after Wentz struggled mightily in 2023, it was fair to expect some regression after his great start to the season.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Keeps cruising Monday
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Wentz tossed two scoreless innings of relief in Monday's 2-1 loss to the Guardians. He allowed one hit and struck out four.
Wentz relieved starter Jack Flaherty and kept Detroit in the game, as the lefty continued his excellent start to the season. He lowered his ERA to 0.68 and now has 18 strikeouts across 13.1 innings. Wentz flopped as a starter last year but has reinvented himself as an effective long reliever. It's not the most fantasy-friendly role, but he could help with ratios, strikeouts and the occasional win in deeper formats.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Earns first hold
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Wentz worked around a hit and a walk to pitch a scoreless inning of relief and earn a hold in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Cardinals. He struck out one.
Wentz has pitched well all season in relief, and he now has his first hold to show for it. The lefty has a miniscule 0.79 ERA across 11.1 innings and he's struck out 14. The move to the bullpen has done wonders for Wentz, as he struggled mightily as a starter last year, posting a 6.80 ERA and 1.68 WHIP across 105.2 innings. He figures to stick in a relief role moving forward.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Fans four in relief appearance
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Wentz logged 2.1 scoreless innings of relief in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Twins. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out four.
So far so good for Wentz as a long reliever, as the lefty now has a 1.17 ERA and 10 strikeouts across 7.2 innings. His stuff has played up a bit in relief, with his average fastball velocity this year sitting at 94.3 mph, up from 93.4 mph in 2023, and his K/9 has increased from 8.3 to 11.7. Wentz looks like a useful bullpen option for the Tigers, and he could parlay that into more high-leverage work at some point.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Continues to pitch well
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Wentz logged two scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts in Monday's loss to the Pirates, and he now has a 1.69 ERA across three appearances this season.
It's a small sample size of just 5.1 total innings, but Wentz has pitched well, pairing a 1.13 WHIP and six strikeouts with the strong ERA. The southpaw has retired more than three batters in all of his outings so far, so it looks like he'll be trusted as a long reliever moving forward. It's not the most fantasy-friendly role, though Wentz could steal a few wins here and there.
Wentz will make the Tigers' Opening Day roster in a bullpen role, Julie Kreuz of MLB.com reports.
Wentz struggled mightily as a starter last season, but he will stick around in Detroit as a reliever. The lefty was effective in spring training, posting a 2.93 ERA and striking out 15 batters over 15.1 innings. Wentz may not see high-leverage work right out of the gate, though as a southpaw, he has a chance to earn trust quickly if he can retire left-handed hitters on a regular basis.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Looks good in relief
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After logging two scoreless innings with a strikeout in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, Wentz now has a 1.29 ERA across four spring appearances.
Wentz has been scored upon only once in his four outings, and he's also struck out seven batters across seven innings of work. The lefty struggled mightily as a starter for the Tigers in 2023, but so far, he looks comfortable in a relief role. If his stuff plays up a bit out of the bullpen all year, Wentz may find some success as a reliever, though that's unlikely to translate to much fantasy value.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Effective in spring debut
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Wentz tossed two scoreless innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros. He allowed a hit and two walks, while striking out five.
It's of course a small sample, but this was an encouraging outing for Wentz. The southpaw mostly served as a starter for the Tigers last year and struggled mightily, posting a 6.90 ERA and 1.68 WHIP across 105.2 innings. The team announced before spring training that Wentz will be focusing on a relief role in camp, with some hope that his stuff will play up out of the bullpen. It remains to be seen if Wentz can remain effective in this role, though it seems like Detroit will give him an opportunity to establish himself as a left-handed relief option heading into the regular season.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Will be used as reliever
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Wentz will focus on competing for a bullpen job with the Tigers this spring, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Nearly all of Wentz's pro experience has been as a starting pitcher. However, he's out of options and isn't viewed as a viable rotation option right now, so the Tigers want to evaluate him solely as a reliever. Wentz holds a career 5.99 ERA and 125:60 K:BB over 138.1 frames covering 32 appearances (26 starts).
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Shelled in loss
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Wentz (3-13) took the loss Friday, allowing seven runs on eight hits and three walks over 2.1 innings against the Guardians. He struck out two.
It has a been a miserable year for Wentz as he is tied for fifth in the league with 13 losses. The 25-year-old lefty's September was particularly rough, as he has an 8.39 ERA, 1.86 WHIP and 15:9 K:BB in 16.1 innings. Wentz ends his 2023 season with a gruesome 6.90 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 98:47 K:BB over 105.2 frames.
