The Dodgers acquired Twins’ lefty reliever Jason Wheeler for cash considerations, the team announced on Friday. In a corresponding move, the Dodgers shifted third baseman Rob Segedin to the 60-day disabled list to clear space for Wheeler on the 40-man roster. The rookie southpaw was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he’s expected to help balance out a predominantly right-handed pitching staff alongside fellow left-handers Justin Marks, Patrick Schuster and Julio Urias.
Wheeler, 26, made his major league debut with the Twins in May. He distributed six hits, five runs and four walks over three innings and was designated for assignment after the Twins took back-to-back losses against the Astros. Prior to the lefty’s call-up, his numbers looked fairly stable in Triple-A Rochester, where he pitched to a 4-1 record out of Rochester’s rotation and maintained a 4.50 ERA, 2.0 BB/9 and 7.6 SO/9 through 44 innings.
While Wheeler has yet to prove himself at the major league level, his presence in Triple-A Oklahoma City will give the club some extra bullpen depth. Performance hasn’t been much of an issue for the Dodgers lately -- according to FanGraphs, they currently rank first among all major league bullpens with a collective 4.2 fWAR and sit just behind the Indians with a 2.54 ERA.
