Right-handed pitcher Reynel Espinal, 32, has been released from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Local media outlets, including Sporincianex, reported on Monday that Espinal was released by the Yakult Swallows as a free agent. The lack of interest from other teams is expected to bring an end to his NPB career.
Espinal is a long (1.90 meters) right-handed pitcher who was also interested in the KBO last winter. The Dominican Republic native has a 3-1 record with an 8.10 ERA in his two-year big league career. While his Major League Baseball (MLB) stats don’t really stand out, he has a history in the minors. 먹튀검증
In his minor league career (8 years), he has a 40-34 record with a 3.75 ERA in 189 games (72 starts). 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings. In 2021, he was 11-4 with a 3.44 ERA at Triple-A for the Boston Red Sox. He has a fastball that sits in the high 90s and mixes in a slider and changeup.
He entered the NPB with high hopes, but the results were disastrous. In three appearances in the first team, he struggled to a 5.40 ERA (5 innings, 1 run, 1 hit, 5 walks, 3 runs). In the second team, he went 3-4 with a 5.11 ERA in 20 games. Nikkan Sports added, “As no club applied to transfer his contract within seven days of the waiver announcement, he was announced as a free agent under Article 120 of the Baseball Convention.