After being designated for assignment for the second time this season earlier this week, Orioles pitcher Brad Bergesen has found a new baseball home in Arizona.
As first reported by Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus, the Diamondbacks claimed the right-handed pitcher on waivers after Bergesen was removed from Baltimore’s roster on Wednesday to make room for starting pitcher Tommy Hunter. The Orioles hoped Bergesen would clear waivers like he did back in May, but the Diamondbacks will place him on their 40-man roster.
Pitching for Triple-A Norfolk this season, Bergesen was 4-3 with a 4.03 earned run average and one save in 22 games that included 10 starts. He allowed 90 hits, struck out 41, and walked 23 in 80 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old did not appear in a game for the Orioles this season.
Bergesen’s best season for the Orioles came in 2009 when he went 7-5 with a 3.43 ERA in 19 starts as a rookie. However, a line drive off the bat of Kansas City’s Billy Butler struck the pitcher’s shin on July 30 of that season, ending his rookie campaign. That incident coupled with an offseason shoulder injury led to little success the next two seasons as Bergesen bounced back and forth between Baltimore and Triple-A Norfolk.
He ends his Orioles career with a 17-24 record and a 4.68 ERA in 83 games and 59 starts.
