Dodgers Claim Brent Honeywell Jr. Off Waivers From Pirates

The Dodgers have claimed right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr. off waivers from the Pirates, as noted by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. L.A. will need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move, though one has not yet been announced.

Honeywell, 29, is best known for his time in the Rays system as a top prospect. A lengthy series of injuries that included Tommy John surgery and multiple elbow fractures left Honeywell to pitch just 103 1/3 innings in professional games from 2018 to 2022. Nonetheless, the righty managed to make it to the majors last year with the Padres. He posted a decent 4.05 ERA in 46 2/3 innings of work with San Diego but was pushed off the roster down the stretch last summer and ended up with the White Sox. He was lit up for seven runs in just 5 2/3 innings of work during his brief stint with the South Siders and departed for free agency over the winter.

Back in February, Honeywell signed with Pittsburgh on a minor league deal and started the season with the club’s affiliate in Triple-A. He pitched to a 4.85 ERA across 39 innings of work with a 19.6% strikeout rate and a 10.1% walk rate during his time in the minors. That somewhat lackluster performance still earned him a brief call up to the majors, however, and Honeywell excelled by the results in that limited showing with a 2.70 ERA in 3 1/3 frames, although he walked one more batter than he struck out in that cup of coffee. Honeywell was designated for assignment yesterday after just a few days in the majors, but he’ll evidently get another chance at the big league level with the Dodgers.

With Los Angeles, Honeywell will continue trying to unlock the talent that made him a top prospect during his time in Tampa. Back in 2017, the right-hander was one of the game’s top pitching prospects after posting a 3.64 ERA and 2.84 FIP in 24 starts at the Triple-A level where he struck out 29.1% of batters faced against a walk rate of just 5.9%. He’s several years removed from those sensational numbers at this point, but his time with the Padres last year showed that even with his current diminished strikeout (20.6% in San Diego) and walk (9.8%) rates he can still be an effective middle relief arm.

While the Dodgers’ bullpen has been among the best in baseball overall this year, they’ve struggled somewhat in recent weeks. Since the calendar flipped to June, the club’s 3.46 relief ERA remains solid, but their 4.18 FIP is bottom ten in the majors and suggests they could be in for some regression as the season wears on. The introduction of Honeywell, who can at least provide the club with another arm in the final weeks leading up to the trade deadline, should allow the Dodgers to help keep their relief options fresh as the club likely contemplates other additions in the coming weeks.