Fleming signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Tuesday.
Fleming elected free agency Sunday after being dropped from Pittsburgh's 40-man roster, and he'll now get another opportunity to prove himself with the Mariners. The 28-year-old southpaw owns a 4.02 ERA and 1.53 WHIP through 31.1 innings in the majors this season, and his ERA jumps up to 5.68 across 12.2 innings in the minors. If he's able to turn things around while at Triple-A Tacoma, there's a chance he could give the Mariners some innings out of the bullpen down the stretch.
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Josh Fleming: Becomes free agent
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Fleming elected free agency Sunday.
Fleming cleared waivers after being removed from the Pirates' 40-man roster, but he refused an outright assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis and instead chose to become a free agent. The left-hander has posted a 4.02 ERA and 17:14 K:BB across 31.1 frames with the Pirates this season. He'll be able to find work in another organization but likely will have to settle for a minor-league contract.
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Pirates' Josh Fleming: Booted from 40-man roster
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The Pirates designated Fleming for assignment Friday.
The left-hander has posted a 4.02 ERA and 17:14 K:BB across 31.1 frames with the Pirates this season. Because he's already been outrighted once before, Fleming could elect for free agency if he clears waivers again.
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Pirates' Josh Fleming: Resumes working out of bullpen
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Fleming retired the lone batter he faced in relief Friday in the Pirates' 10-3 loss to the Rays.
Fleming was back in the bullpen for the beginning of the Pirates' three-game set with Tampa Bay after he made a four-inning spot start in Colorado in his previous outing this past Sunday. The veteran southpaw has just one save and one hold among his 17 relief appearances on the season and will likely be relegated to lower-leverage spots even after the Pirates placed closer David Bednar (oblique) on the injured list Sunday.
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Pirates' Josh Fleming: Returns with scoreless outing
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Fleming allowed four hits over four-plus shutout innings during a no-decision Sunday. He struck out two during the win over Colorado.
Fleming made his first MLB appearance since May 13 and impressed with four scoreless frames. He gave up a pair of singles without recording an out in the fifth inning, but Carmen Mlodzinski escaped the jam to keep the Rockies off the board. Fleming now owns a 4.70 ERA with a 15:9 K:BB through 23 MLB innings this season. He'll most likely shift to the bullpen or head back to Triple-A Indianapolis.
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Pirates' Josh Fleming: Drawing start Sunday
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Fleming is slated to start Sunday's game against the Rockies at Coors Field, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Fleming was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday but went unused out of the bullpen for the first two games of the Pirates' series in Colorado. He'll step into the rotation for the series finale Sunday as Pittsburgh looks to give each of their other starters an additional day of rest, but Fleming will likely head to the bullpen or return to Triple-A immediately after the start. Fleming had worked as a multi-inning reliever for Indianapolis prior to his call-up, covering at least two frames in each of his last four appearances while pitching to a 5.68 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in seven outings overall.
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Pirates' Josh Fleming: Joining MLB roster
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The Pirates selected Fleming to the active roster Friday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Fleming will rejoin the Pirates' bullpen after being DFA'd on May 14. He'll take the place of Hunter Stratton (triceps), who was placed on the 15-day IL, while Niko Goodrum was designated for assignment to make room for Fleming on the 40-man roster. Fleming has pitched 19 innings with the Pirates this season and owns a 5.68 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Fleming will start Wednesday's game against the Brewers, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Fleming has previously made 22 starts in the majors with the Rays over the previous four seasons, but he's worked exclusively out of the bullpen this season for Pittsburgh. The southpaw has one three-inning appearance under his belt, but it came back on March 29, and each of his subsequent eight outings have lasted 1.2 innings or fewer. As such, Fleming shouldn't be expected to work deep into Wednesday's contest and may be serving as a glorified opener in front of rookie Quinn Priester, who had initially been in line to start the game.
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Pirates' Josh Fleming: Three-inning save Friday
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Fleming gave up one run on two hits and a walk over three relief innings Friday to record his first save of the season in a 7-2 win over the Marlins. He struck out three.
The 27-year-old southpaw entered the game in the bottom of the seventh inning with the Pirates ahead by four runs already, and he never gave manager Derek Shelton a reason to turn to another pitcher. Fleming tossed 58 pitches (33 strikes) in the appearance and likely won't be available for a few days, which could prompt Pittsburgh to option him to Triple-A Indianapolis in favor of a fresh arm. The save was the second of his career, and his first back in 2021 for the Rays was also of the three-inning variety, so he's not a late-inning option for the Pirates.
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Pirates' Josh Fleming: Signs one-year deal with Pittsburgh
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Fleming signed a one-year, split contract with the Pirates on Wednesday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
The 27-year-old will earn $850,000 if he's in the majors. Murray writes that the Pirates plan to use Fleming as a long reliever who could occasionally make a spot start. The left-hander holds a career 4.88 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 144:69 K:BB across 223.1 major-league innings covering parts of four seasons.
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Rays' Josh Fleming: Optioned to Durham
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The Rays optioned Fleming to Triple-A Durham on Sunday.
Fleming came off the 60-day injured list Saturday and surrendered two runs on five hits over three innings during his return. He'll now head back to the minors to clear a spot for Osleivis Basabe's promotion. Fleming holds a 4.70 ERA and 1.45 WHIP through 51.2 innings this season and could return to the Rays' bullpen down the line.
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Rays' Josh Fleming: Works 2.1 innings
Rotowire
Fleming (elbow) allowed two earned runs on five hits and a walk while striking out two across 2.1 innings in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Durham on Thursday.
Fleming has been out since late May but has now made two rehab appearances. He threw 43 pitches in his latest outing and will still likely require a couple more appearances before potentially being activated. There is no formal timeline for Fleming's return, but a decision on his status will be required by mid-August.
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Rays' Josh Fleming: Nearing rehab outings
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Fleming (elbow) is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment this weekend in the Florida Complex League, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
He'll go around two innings the first time out and build up from there. On the shelf since early June due to a nagging left elbow issue, Fleming looks poised to return to a swingman role with the Rays before the end of July.
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Rays' Josh Fleming: Playing catch again
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Fleming (elbow) resumed playing catch last week, MLB.com reports.
When Fleming initially landed on the 15-day injured list June 2 with left elbow soreness, the Rays had feared that the southpaw could be a candidate for season-ending surgery. Fortunately for Fleming, a follow-up MRI revealed only cartilage damage and inflammation, as his left elbow was deemed to be structurally sound. He'll ultimately be sidelined until at least late July after he was moved to the 60-day IL, but since he's already throwing again, Fleming looks as though he'll have a chance at being ready for activation when first eligible.
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Rays' Josh Fleming: Shifts to 60-day injured list
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Tampa Bay transferred Fleming (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Saturday.
Fleming hit the IL on June 2 with what was initially called left elbow soreness, but an MRI revealed cartilage buildup on his elbow bone as well as inflammation, issues from which it will take at least two months to recover. He'll visit a specialist next week to get some additional clarity, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Fleming wasn't all that impressive prior to his injury, recording a 4.62 ERA and an 11.6 percent strikeout rate, but his 48.2 innings ranked third on the team, so the Rays will have to fill those innings somehow.
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Rays' Josh Fleming: Hit hard in no-decision
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Fleming did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing 10 runs (eight earned) on 12 hits and two walks over six innings against the Dodgers. He struck out three.
The home run ball was Fleming's downfall against the Dodgers -- five out of the 12 hits he surrendered left the yard. The 27-year-old southpaw had been pitching well coming into Sunday's matchup, allowing just three earned runs over 15 innings in his last three starts. Fleming's ERA is up to 4.62 with a 1.44 WHIP and 24:19 K:BB across 48.2 innings this season. He'll look to get back on track in his next start, tentatively scheduled for next week against the Red Sox in Fenway Park.
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Rays' Josh Fleming: Fires six innings
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Fleming (1-0) yielded two runs on five hits and a walk over six innings Monday, striking out two and earning a win over the Blue Jays.
Fleming entered the game after a pair of scoreless innings from opener Trevor Kelley and looked solid aside from the two-run homer he allowed to Whit Merrifield in the fourth frame. After getting rocked for six runs May 7, Fleming has allowed three runs over his last 15 innings, lowering his season ERA to 3.59. He's recorded two or fewer strikeouts in six straight outings and now owns a 21:17 K:BB through 42.2 innings this season.
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Rays' Josh Fleming: Filling bulk-relief role Monday
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Fleming is expected to work in bulk relief behind opener Trevor Kelley in Monday's game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Despite working as a traditional starter in his last turn through the rotation May 17 and tossing five scoreless frames, Fleming will return to the bulk-relief role that he's typically filled over the past few weeks. Kelley is slated to open Monday's game and will presumably work 1-to-2 innings before giving way to Fleming, who should be the Rays pitcher most likely to qualify for a win. Even so, Fleming has yet to factor into a decision in any of his nine appearances on the campaign, despite working three or more innings on every occasion.
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Rays' Josh Fleming: Tosses five scoreless frames
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Fleming did not factor in the decision against the Mets on Wednesday, pitching five scoreless innings during which he allowed three hits and two walks while striking out two batters.
Fleming worked in a traditional starting role for just the second time this season and delivered five shutout frames to counteract a strong start by opposing hurler Kodai Senga. Fleming's approach was the opposite of Senga's -- he notched just four whiffs and two strikeouts to Senga's 18 and 12 -- but the efficiency helped him get through five frames on a modest 67 pitches. Fleming doesn't have the strikeout stuff to be a popular option in fantasy, though he's posted a decent 3.68 ERA through 36.2 innings on the campaign.
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Rays' Josh Fleming: Solid as primary pitcher Friday
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Fleming didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Yankees, allowing one run on three hits and a walk over four relief innings. He struck out two.
Entering the game in the third inning after Trevor Kelley was deployed as the opener, Fleming was handed a 2-1 lead but eventually gave up the tying run before exiting after 52 pitches (29 strikes). The southpaw has been erratic this season -- 11 of his 15 earned runs allowed have come in just two of his eight appearances -- and his 4.26 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 17:14 K:BB through 31.2 innings are far from enticing for fantasy GMs. Nonetheless, he'll continue to factor into the rotation mix, either as a traditional starter or bulk reliever, due to all the injuries on the Rays' staff. His next turn is likely to come on the road next week against the Mets.
