Cincinnati Reds Claim Dan Straily on Waivers

Another arm has been added to the Cincinnati Reds’ pitching staff plagued with injuries.

It turns out the Reds aren’t quite finished finalizing their Opening Day roster. On Friday, the team claimed right-handed pitcher Dan Straily off of waivers from the San Diego Padres, according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick.

Straily was traded from the Houston Astros to the Padres for catcher Erik Kratz earlier this week and was waived by his new team just hours before the Reds claimed him.

The 27-year-old was originally taken by the Oakland Athletics in the 24th round of the 2009 draft. He debuted with the team in 2012 and was eventually traded to the Chicago Cubs in the Jeff Samardzija deal before landing in Houston in the swap that took Dexter Fowler to the Windy City.

He was considered the sixth-best prospect in the Athletics’ organization by Baseball America and No. 85 among all players by Baseball Prospectus after his breakout 2012 season, in which he posted a 2.78 ERA and struck out 190 batters in 152 innings between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Sacramento.

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Things haven’t panned out for Straily, however, as shoulder troubles and walks have slowed his career down. Although he hasn’t gotten an extended look with any of his three teams, his 52 major league games (45 starts) haven’t been impressive. In 260.1 innings, he’s 13-13 with a 4.60 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 4.71 FIP, with 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings against 3.6 walks.

Straily spent most of last season in Triple-A Fresno, where he posted a 4.77 ERA and struck out 124 batters and walked just 25 in 122 innings. He didn’t get great results this spring, but it’s been noted that his fastball touched 94 mph, well up from an average that was hovering in the high-80s the past two years.

While Straily’s career doesn’t look as promising as it did four years ago, the move makes sense for the Reds given his still-young age and all the injuries the team has suffered on its pitching staff. He has experience as a starter and a reliever, giving the team options for how they want to use him.

With Anthony DeSclafani (oblique strain), Jon Moscot (intercostal strain), Homer Bailey (Tommy John recovery), John Lamb (recovery from back surgery) and Michael Lorenzen (elbow strain) all expected to start the season on the disabled list, the starting rotation seems to be the most likely destination for Straily.

Right now, the Reds have only announced three starters (with Tim Melville expected to be the fourth) and unless they want to start the service clock on Robert Stephenson — who struggled badly with his control in his final spring outing — Straily could find himself as the club’s No. 5 starter until other pitchers get healthy.