Joey Wentz is headed to Pittsburgh after being claimed off waivers by the Pirates. The left-handed pitcher was designated for assignment by the Detroit Tigers just four days earlier. The Pirates have announced that Wentz will join their roster later this week, at which point they will make a corresponding move to their 28-man active roster. Their 40-man roster is now full.
Wentz, who had no minor league options left, had to clear waivers before being sent down. The Tigers made room for his departure by activating right-handed pitcher Casey Mize from the 60-day injured list. Wentz, originally acquired by Detroit in a 2019 trade with the Atlanta Braves for Shane Greene, showed promise after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2020. However, his 2023 season was inconsistent, with a 6.90 ERA over 19 starts.
In 2024, Wentz transitioned primarily to a bullpen role, where he continued to show potential but struggled with consistency, posting a 5.37 ERA over 55 1/3 innings, with 60 strikeouts and 27 walks.
Meanwhile, the Tigers currently have 39 players on their 40-man roster, with several on the injured list, including Javier Baez, Alex Faedo, Sawyer Gipson-Long, and Brendan White.
