Marlins claim Taylor Williams off waivers from Padres

The Marlins announced they’ve claimed reliever Taylor Williams off waivers from the Padres. In a corresponding move, Miami designated infielder Deven Marrero for assignment. San Diego designated Williams for assignment on Friday.

Williams has pitched in the majors in each of the past five seasons. The right-hander broke in with the Brewers in 2017 and landed with the Mariners last year after three seasons with Milwaukee. San Diego acquired Williams late last season, but he made just one appearance down the stretch last year. The 30-year-old pitched in five games with the Padres in April, working 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts and three walks. He landed on the injured list with right knee inflammation midway through the season’s first month, however, and he remained on the IL until Sept. 1.

The Friars designated Williams just a couple days after reinstating him from the IL. He’s out of minor-league option years, meaning San Diego had to expose him to waivers in order to remove him from the active roster. The Marlins stepped in to add Williams for almost no cost, but they’ll have to keep him in the majors or risk losing him on waivers themselves.

Over the course of his career, Williams has a 5.17 ERA in 92 1/3 innings of relief. His strikeout and walk rates (24.3% and 10.5%) are right around league average for bullpen arms, and he’s induced whiffs on a solid 12.9% of his career offerings. Those peripherals suggest Williams could yet settle in as a decent middle relief option, at the very least. If the Fish keep him on the roster, Williams can be controlled through 2024 via arbitration.

Miami has now designated Marrero five times this year. The Marlins have selected him to the 40-man roster a few times whenever the club has found itself in need of additional infield depth, but he hasn’t stuck on the big-league roster for too long. Marrero has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Jacksonville each of the previous four times he was designated, so it seems likely he’ll stick around in the high minors yet again.