Veteran Reliever Elects Free Agency Following DFA

Back in June, Heath Hembree was pitching for a whole other team on the East Coast. 

However, after 20 games with the team, the Pittsburgh Pirates let him go and the Dodgers signed the free agent to a minor league contract on June 26th with high hopes that he could turn things around.

Since then, after a stint at Triple-A, the right-handed pitcher has appeared in six games with LA. In his debut with the team, he allowed 0 runs on 2 hits in his lone inning to collect a win. But then September came. 

Hembree posted a 9.64 ERA in 4.2 innings of work allowing 6 runs on 7 hits including 5 errors. 3 of those hits came in his last outing on September 10th before the team finally decided to DFA him on the 13th.

But according to the OC Register, after clearing waivers, the veteran pitcher refused his assignment back to AAA and elected free agency instead. He'll be seeking out his 8th team since debuting in 2013 with the San Francisco Giants.

On September 16th, the Los Angeles Dodgers sent RHP Heath Hembree outright to Oklahoma City Dodgers but we'll see where Hembree ends up next season.

In the 2022 season between the Dodgers and the Pirates, the 33-year-old has a 3-1 record across 26 game appearances. He posts a 7.36 ERA with 17 strikeouts and a 1.95 WHIP across 22 innings of work. He's also allowed 19 runs on 26 hits with 18 errors and 6 home runs.