Dodgers lose Reyes Moronta on waivers to Diamondbacks

Reyes Moronta’s tenure with the Dodgers has ended, with the right-handed pitcher getting claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday.

Moronta was designated for assignment on Saturday to make room on the 40-man roster move for Dustin May, who was activated off the 60-day injured list to make his first major league start in 476 days. It went incredibly well for May.

The Dodgers signed Moronta to a minor league contract in March, after shoulder and flexor tendon injuries limited the right-hander to just four major league innings in 2020 and 2021 with the Giants.

Moronta’s comeback season this year had mixed results. He allowed only two runs in his first 10 appearances with the Dodgers, with 14 strikeouts in 12 innings. But then he allowed home runs in four straight major league games, with a trip to the minors in between.

In all, the 29-year-old in his five stints with the Dodgers this season had a 4.18 ERA, 3.46 xERA, and 5.11 FIP in 22 games, with 27 strikeouts and 10 walks in 23⅔ innings. In 11 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Moronta had a 2.70 ERA with 17 strikeouts and nine walks in 10 innings.

Among the 25 Dodgers to pitch in relief this season, Moronta had the fourth-lowest average leverage index, ahead of only Jake Reed (three games), Robbie Erlin (two games), and position player Hanser Alberto (four games). Moronta never entered a game with less than a four-run lead, and only pitched three times when the Dodgers trailed by fewer than four runs.