Dodgers designate once-promising pitcher for assignment

The Dodgers announced that right-hander Dinelson Lamet has been designated for assignment.  The move opens up a roster space for fellow righty Gus Varland, who has been called up from Triple-A.

Lamet’s minor league deal was selected to the active roster on April 1, and he has posted a 2.08 ERA over three appearances and 4 1/3 innings of work.  While a small sample size, Lamet’s 16.7% strikeout rate was uninspiring, and he allowed a solo homer to Michael Busch during 1 1/3 frames in Friday’s 9-7 Dodgers loss to the Cubs.  If Lamet is the proverbial 26th man on the roster, Los Angeles seems willing to risk losing him on DFA waivers in order to add a fresh arm in Varland, but it is certainly possible Lamet clears waivers and remains in the organization.

This cup of coffee with the Dodgers represents one of Lamet’s better stretches of pitching in the last four years, as he has a 6.63 ERA over 111 1/3 innings with four different big league clubs since the start of the 2021 campaign.  Once a promising starter in the Padres’ rotation in 2019-20, Lamet has been set back by injuries and a consistent lack of control when facing MLB batters.