Wei-Chung

Wang

The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster. Wang was claimed off waivers by the Pirates in September.

Wang was claimed off waivers from the Athletics on Sunday. The left-hander owns a 3.33 ERA in 27 innings this season at the MLB level and could get semi-high-leverage looks out of the Pirates’ bullpen.

It’s a return to his original organization, as Wang started pro ball with the Pirates back in 2013. The lefty holds a 3.33 ERA but a 16/11 K/BB ratio over 27 innings in the majors this season.

This move will clear room on the 40-man roster for Sheldon Neuse, who is being added to the roster on Thursday. Wang appeared in 20 games with the A’s before being optioned down to Triple-A Las Vegas and had an ERA of 3.33 with a 16/11 K/BB mark over 27 innings. He could elect to become a free agent since the minor league season is ending in a few days.

Wang has really struggled lately. A.J. Puk will come up prior to Tuesday’s game to take his roster spot.

The left-handed reliever last pitched in the majors for the Brewers in 2017. He had a 3.75 in 24 innings at hitter-friendly Las Vegas. He will serve in middle relief for the Mariners.

Wang, a native of Taitung City, Taiwan, spent the 2018 season with the NC Dinos of the Korea Baseball Organization. He appeared in 22 games with the Brewers between 2014 and 2017, yielding 23 earned runs over just 18 2/3 innings. The 26-year-old left-hander will presumably begin the 2019 season with the Triple-A affiliate of the Athletics, now in Las Vegas.

This pick is a pure upside play by Milwaukee management. Wang, a 21-year-old Taiwanese project, has never advanced beyond the GCL. He posted a 3.23 ERA and a 42/4 K/BB rate at the level this past season. Wang’s fastball reaches 95, and he’s showed the makings for two additional plus pitches (curveball and changeup).

Smith held opponents to a .558 OPS as a reliever in Kansas City last season. The Royals swapped him to the Brewers in December for Norichika Aoki. While Milwaukee at the time toyed with the idea of converting Smith back into a starting role, they now have no pressure to do so. Smith, 24, had a 3.24 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 43/7 K/BB ratio in 33 1/3 innings last season. Rosenthal adds that the Brewers might add one more reliever, but might prefer that Rule 5 pick LHP Wei Chung-Wang win the last bullpen spot.

He finished with a season-high nine strikeouts while allowing just two hits and a pair of walks. 62 of his season-high 101 pitches went for strikes. Saturday’s victory was Wang’s first since April 21, ending an eight-game winless drought. Wang raced through the Brewers’ system, making his major league debut in 2014 at age 21. He flamed out quickly, culminating in a demotion to High-A Brevard County last season. The left-hander holds a 4.07 ERA over 12 starts for Biloxi in 2016.