The Baltimore Orioles are moving forward Craig Kimbrel after designating the reliever for assignment on Wednesday.
Kimbrel’s last appearances came Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants, where he allowed a career-high six earned runs and three hits in 2/3 of an inning during a 10-0 loss.
The Orioles signed Kimbrel, 36, to a one-year, $13 million contract in December with an eye toward him filling in as their closer after Felix Bautista was sidelined for the season following Tommy John surgery.
Kimbrel had a solid first half, recording 23 saves in 39 appearances and allowing just 11 earned runs in 35 1/3 innings. He also had 53 strikeouts, posted a 0.96 WHIP and held opposing teams to a .150 batting average.
But since July 7, the date of his last save with the Orioles, it has been a disaster for Kimbrel, as he has allowed runs in 11 of his last 19 appearances with Baltimore and allowed 24 hits and 17 walks.
This is Kimbrel’s 15th season in the MLB and the Orioles were his eighth team. The nine-time All-Star joined the Atlanta Braves in 2010, won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2011 and served as the team’s star closer for five seasons.
Kimbrel currently ranks fifth all-time in saves with 440 and is six behind Kenley Jansen of the Boston Red Sox and 38 behind baseball Hall of Famer Lee Smith.
