The Tampa Bay Rays granted right-hander Jake Odorizzi (hamstring, shoulder) his release on Thursday. The veteran of 11 major-league seasons signed a minor-league deal with the Rays in mid-March and made two rehab starts with Triple-A Durham in hopes of getting back to the big leagues. Odorizzi missed all of the 2023 season while recovering from shoulder surgery and will now be looking for another opportunity with another organization in 2024. In his two minor-league starts with Durham, the 34-year-old didn't look good, giving up seven runs while walking five and striking out only two in 5 1/3 innings while being bothered by a hamstring injury. Even if he's healthy and gets a shot elsewhere, it's looking like an uphill battle for Odorizzi to get back to the majors this year.
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that right-hander Jake Odorizzi (shoulder) will make a start for Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, April 2, and then the team will go "start-to-start" on deciding when/if they'll bring him to the major-league level. Not only did Odorizzi not sign with the Rays until March 15, but he didn't pitch at all in 2023 while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder. The 34-year-old veteran should eventually become a rotation option for Tampa this year, but he'll certainly be on an innings limit and already didn't come with much fantasy upside. The former first-rounder (32nd overall) of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008 went 6-6 with the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves in his last season in 2022, sporting a 4.40 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with 35 walks and 86 K's over 22 starts.
Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Jake Odorizzi (shoulder) was scheduled to pitch in Tuesday's exhibition game at Tropicana Field against the Detroit Tigers rather than in a minor-league game on Wednesday. Odorizzi sees it as a truer test of his progress in what will be his first game pitched since Oct. of 2022 due to arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder. The 33-year-old veteran signed with the Rays late in spring training this year and will begin the 2024 campaign in the minor leagues as a result. If Odorizzi doesn't have any setbacks with his shoulder, he should have a spot open for him in the rotation with both Shane Baz (elbow) and Taj Bradley (pectoral) recovering from injuries. Even in deeper fantasy leagues, managers will probably want to wait and see before trusting Odorizzi in starting lineups whenever he makes his 2024 debut.
Jake Odorizzi Returns To Rays On Minor League Deal
Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times is reporting that starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi (shoulder) has returned to the Rays on a minor-league deal. Odorizzi spent 2023 recovering from shoulder surgery and last suited up in 2022 for the Atlanta Braves. The right-hander will return to familiar grounds with the club that he spent five of 11 seasons with. He does own a career 3.99 ERA, but this is merely a depth piece and he can be avoided in all fantasy formats for now.
Free-agent right-hander Jake Odorizzi (shoulder), who was an All-Star starter in 2019, is throwing without restrictions and is looking to sign a major-league deal in the coming weeks. The 33-year-old has pitched off a mound this offseason in front of evaluators from 10 to 12 big-league teams. Odorizzi had an arthroscopic debridement surgery on his right shoulder last April, which caused him to sit out all of the 2023 season. With the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves back in 2022, Odorizzi went 6-6 with a 4.40 ERA (4.28 FIP) and 1.33 WHIP while walking 35 and striking out 86 in 106 1/3 innings over 22 starts. It remains to be seen if he'll sign with a team in time to become a legitimate starting rotation option for the start of the 2024 season. Odorizzi was a first-time All-Star back in 2019 with the Minnesota Twins.
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi (shoulder) is expected to miss the entire 2023 campaign. The right-hander has been dealing with arm fatigue, so the team decided to have him undergo further testing. Now, it has been determined that Odorizzi needs to undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his right shoulder. The 33-year-old was primarily going to be depth for the Rangers this season. That being said, this isn't a huge blow to the team, but it still hurts. Odorizzi is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.
Jake Odorizzi To Serve Bulk-Inning Or Spot-Starter Role
The Athletic's Levi Weaver reported Tuesday that Texas Rangers newly-signed pitcher Jake Odorizzi will likely serve as either a bulk inning reliever or as a spot sixth starter. The Rangers brought in Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and Andrew Heaney this off-season in addition to Odorizzi, and all three are established starters. However, injury is a real concern throughout the projected starters, which likely means Odorizzi will pitch a substantial number of innings either way. The 32-year-old made 22 starts with the Astros and Braves in 2022, going 6-6 with a 4.40 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 19% strikeout rate. He may be a useful streamer in points leagues throughout the season, but Odorizzi's high WHIP, low strikeout upside, and uncertain role limits his fantasy value in roto leagues.
The Texas Rangers acquired right-hander Jake Odorizzi and cash considerations from the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday in exchange for left-hander Kolby Allard. Odorizzi began the 2022 season with the Houston Astros and was traded to the Braves in August. He finished the year 6-6 with a combined 4.40 ERA (4.28 FIP), a 1.33 WHIP, 86 strikeouts and 35 walks in 106 1/3 total innings over 22 starts. The 32-year-old wasn't as good in Atlanta, going 2-3 with a 5.24 ERA (5.14 FIP), a 1.55 WHIP and 40 strikeouts in 46 1/3 frames over 10 starts. Odorizzi should be guaranteed a rotation spot in Texas to open the 2023 season, but he'll have to pitch much better to be anything more than a back-end fantasy starter in deeper leagues.
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi had a start to forget on Friday night against the Philadelphia Phillies, as he surrendered eight earned runs on 10 hits (one homer) while walking three and striking out six in four innings in the 9-1 loss. It was his worst performance since being acquired from the Houston Astros at the trade deadline, and he's now gone 1-3 with a 5.97 ERA (5.31 FIP), a 1.62 WHIP, 33 strikeouts and 14 walks in 37 2/3 innings and eight starts with Atlanta. In three starts in September, Odorizzi has allowed 13 earned runs on 17 hits (two homers) while walking seven and striking out 14. Despite his disappointing performances with the Braves so far, the 32-year-old veteran right-hander should remain in the starting rotation the rest of the way.
The Atlanta Braves have scratched right-hander Jake Odorizzi (arm) from his scheduled start on Saturday against the Miami Marlins with arm fatigue. Bryce Elder will toe the rubber in his place. Instead, Odorizzi will start next against the Mariners in Seattle. It's not a serious situation for the 32-year-old, but the Braves don't want to take any chances. In his five starts since being acquired from the Houston Astros, Odorizzi has gone 1-2 with a 4.26 ERA (5.65 FIP), 1.46 WHIP, 19 strikeouts and seven walks in 25 1/3 innings pitched. In 17 starts on the season as a whole, he's gone 5-5 with a 3.90 ERA (4.23 FIP), a 1.24 WHIP and a 65:24 K:BB in 85 1/3 innings. Elder, a rookie, is 1-3 with a 4.45 ERA (4.82 FIP), a 1.52 WHIP and 24 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings over six outings (five starts) for Atlanta.
