While the Minnesota Twins are putting the screws to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — 7-0 in the fifth inning at last check — the front office has been busy, as lefty Jason Wheeler is also headed west, to the Los Angeles Dodgers according to LaVelle E. Neal of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
The Twins have not yet confirmed the move.
Wheeler spent the entire 2015 season on the Twins 40-man roster, but was outrighted after a rough season (5.43 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 5.9 K/9) across two levels that year. Wheeler rebounded to post a solid season between Chattanooga and Rochester last season (3.30 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 7.2 K/9), and got his feet wet with his first cup of coffee in the big leagues this season.
The Twins purchased Wheeler’s contract prior to Monday’s game against the Astros, and he got into two games before the team designated him for assignment. With the DFA, the Twins had 10 days to trade, release or put Wheeler on waivers, though the burly lefty would have had the option to reject a minor-league assignment since this is his second outright.
Wheeler threw 56 pitches across his two appearances spanning three innings on Tuesday and Wednesday, and got just two swinging strikes (four percent) while allowing six line drives and three earned runs total. Wheeler did not strike out any batters in his limited time, walked four and averaged just 88.4 mph on his fastball.
Taking Wheeler’s place on the 40-man roster was veteran righty Alex Wimmers, who joined the Twins in Anaheim in time for the Angels series.
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