NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – The Toronto Blue Jays signed left-hander Brett Oberholtzer to a minor-league deal Wednesday, adding a depth piece who will have a chance to compete for a swingman role in the bullpen.
The 27-year-old split last season between the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Angels, logging a cumulative 5.89 ERA in 70.1 innings over 37 games, including two starts.
He helps build out some pitching depth at triple-A Buffalo, where the Blue Jays are sorely thin in options to protect their rotation. They’ve also been looking for left-handers who could potentially be converted into bullpen pieces to deliver multiple innings.
Oberholtzer enjoyed a promising start to his career with the Houston Astros, posting a 2.76 ERA in 13 games, 10 starts, as a rookie in 2013. He logged a 4.39 ERA and 143.2 innings the next season, but in 2015 missed time with a finger injury and struggled to a 4.93 ERA in the majors and spent half the season at triple-A Fresno.
The Astros sent him to the Phillies as part of the Ken Giles trade last off-season, and the Angels plucked him off waivers Aug. 9.
