The Dodgers signed veteran relief pitcher Nate Jones to a minor-league contract Friday, Alex Freedman, communications director of the Oklahoma City Dodgers reports on Twitter.
#Dodgers have signed veteran reliever Nate Jones to a minor league deal and he has joined the @okc_dodgers.
He was with Atlanta earlier this season and has extensive ML experience also with the White Sox and Reds.
— Alex Freedman (@azfreedman) May 14, 2021
Command issues doomed the 35-year-old Jones, who pitched in 12 games for the Braves this season, posting an 0-2 record with a 3.48 ERA and 1.742 WHIP, allowing six runs (four earned) on eight hits in 10 1/3 innings pitched. He struck out seven and walked 10.
Jones was designated for assignment and then released by the Braves last Friday as the team opened up a spot for reliever Carl Edwards, Jr.
In his last appearance for the Braves on May 1, Jones allowed two walks and the game-winning hit in 2/3 innings pitched against the Blue Jays.
Prior to pitching for the Braves, Jones spent eight years pitching for the White Sox, including a 2016 season where he had a 2.29 ERA, 28 holds and struck out 10.2 batters/9. He pitched in 2020 for the Reds, compiling a 6.27 ERA and 1.661 WHIP.
According to Fangraphs, Jones’ fastball has sat around 95.8 mph the last two seasons, up from 94.2 in 2019, but down from 97.6 in 2018. He also has a sinker, changeup and slider in his repertoire.
The Dodgers are no strangers to renovation projects and will hope Jones can turn things around presumably starting out at Oklahoma City. The team’s bullpen depth has been depleted with injuries to Tony Gonsolin, Corey Knebel, Brusdar Graterol, David Price and Scott Alexander. The team has lost Caleb Ferguson for the season, and Tommy Kahnle isn’t expected to pitch until 2022.
