20 July 2023
The Orioles are adding to their bullpen.
Baltimore on Wednesday acquired right-handed reliever Shintaro Fujinami from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for Triple-A left-hander Easton Lucas, the team announced early in the evening.
Fujinami, 29, is 5-8 with an 8.57 ERA in his first major league season after signing a one-year, $3.25 million deal with the Athletics this past offseason out of Japan.
He features a fastball that can reach triple-digits, but command has been a concern throughout his professional career.
Fujinami struggled mightily as a starter to begin the season, but the 6-foot-6 pitcher has been excellent out of the bullpen the past two months. In 18 1/3 innings since June 5, he has a 2.45 ERA and 19 strikeouts compared with six walks.
Lucas, 26, has a 2.73 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 29 2/3 innings between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk this season. The Orioles acquired Lucas in December 2019 from the Miami Marlins in exchange for infielder Jonathan Villar.
This story will be updated.
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