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The Dodgers have made so many notable acquisitions this season, signing a 2019 All-Star reliever almost seemed like it flew under the radar.
On Friday, the Dodgers signed Shane Greene to a contract, adding him to the active roster. He was an All-Star with the Tigers in 2019, and was a very reliable reliever from 2019 between Detroit and the Braves. However, 2021 has been an entirely different story.
He missed the first few months and made his season debut in June. In 19 games, he posted an ERA of 8.47 with a WHIP of 1.82. Greene was released by Atlanta last week.
“Mechanics wise I feel good,” Greene said to the media on Saturday. “My stuff is moving more than it has in the last couple years. It’s coming out harder. I have a built in excuse with no spring training, but I just want to compete. I’ve been doing this long enough. Put someone in the box, give me the ball and let me compete.”
It’s been a down season for the 32-year-old, but he was an All-Star just two seasons ago. From 2019-2020, he appeared in 93 games and posted a 2.39 ERA, 3.79 FIP, 1.04 WHIP and 200 ERA+. Things have just been trending down for Greene this year.
When speaking to the media, Dave Roberts said that Greene is a pitcher the Dodgers have been trying to acquire for many years. He added that Greene is a veteran pitcher they’ve seen pitch in high leverage situations and has been successful.
The Dodgers saw Greene in the NLCS last season. He tossed 4 2⁄3 innings, allowing one run and striking out five.
“I told Dave yesterday ‘You guys stole a World Series from me last year, I’m looking forward to winning one with you this year’,” Greene said with a smile. “This clubhouse has a lot of big names in it, but very humble players. It’s been really easy.”
Greene said he sat down with the team on Friday and had a long conversation about how he’s ended up where he’s at. They discussed his pitch selection and how they plan on using him moving forward. Greene said him and the team are on the same page and he’s ready to get going.
Dodgers links
- Jim Alexander from The OC Register writes about the Dodgers not paying attention to the current NL West standings
- Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic went into more detail about the Trevor Bauer decision from Friday and what it could mean for the Dodgers going forward
- Diego Cartaya makes Bleacher Report’s list of top prospects under the age of 20