Taylor Rashi outrighted to Triple-A Las Vegas after going unclaimed on waivers

Taylor Rashi is headed back to Triple-A Las Vegas after going unclaimed on waivers, with the Athletics outrighting the right-hander following his recent designation for assignment, per the team's transaction log as reported by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors.

What happened

Per the report, Rashi cleared outright waivers — meaning no club put in a claim during the 48-hour window — and has been assigned to Las Vegas. Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors notes this is Rashi's first career outright assignment. Because he has fewer than three years of big league service time, he does not currently have the right to elect free agency in response to the outright, so the Athletics retain his rights for now.

Rashi spent just over a month on the Athletics' roster after the club claimed him off waivers from the Minnesota Twins in early August. The Twins, per the report, never called him to the majors during his brief time in their system. The bulk of Rashi's professional career has been spent in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, and his 22 total major league innings have come exclusively with the Diamondbacks and the Athletics.

Why it matters

The outright assignment resolves the immediate roster question cleanly enough, but the more interesting wrinkle is what happens this winter. Rashi is a 2019 draftee who, per Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors, will have accumulated enough professional experience by season's end to qualify as a minor league free agent — assuming the Athletics do not call him back to the majors before the regular season concludes. That would allow him to pursue a new opportunity on a minor league contract, or potentially explore options overseas.

The path to a 40-man roster spot, and the big league opportunities that come with it, runs directly through the profile questions that have followed Rashi throughout his career. Modern front offices prize high velocity among relievers, and Rashi's four-seamer has averaged just 90 mph — a number that, per the report, does not win him points with clubs that have built their bullpen acquisition strategies around triple-digit arms. The waiver wire's silence on his name is, in that context, its own kind of answer.

The numbers

The gap between Rashi's Triple-A résumé and his major league results is the central tension in his profile. In 123 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level, he carries a 3.35 ERA and has struck out roughly one quarter of the batters he has faced, per the report. Those are numbers that keep a pitcher employed and keep organizations interested.

The 22-inning major league sample tells a different story: a 5.32 ERA, with Steve Adams noting that his four-seamer and especially his curveball have been hit hard by big league opponents. The slider, which sits in the mid-80s, has produced good results, and the splitter has drawn positive marks as well. The arsenal is not without weapons — it is just that the primary fastball, the pitch that sets everything else up, has not played at the highest level, and the curveball has actively worked against him.

The command picture at Triple-A is also worth noting. Per the report, Rashi has shown shaky command during his time in the upper minors, which compounds the velocity concern. A reliever working at 90 mph needs to locate precisely and miss bats with secondary stuff; the strikeout rate suggests the swing-and-miss is there, but the command inconsistency limits how much margin for error he carries into any given outing.

Where the club stands

The Diamondbacks, the organization where Rashi spent the bulk of his career, are at 79-71 (.527), sitting third in the NL West, 11.5 games back in the division, and ranked fourth in the Wild Card race, 2.5 games relative to the cut line. They are currently on a two-game losing streak.

Arizona opens a home series against the Miami Marlins on Monday, September 14, with Corbin Burnes projected against Sandy Alcantara at Chase Field. The series continues Tuesday with Michael Soroka against Janson Junk, and wraps Wednesday with Merrill Kelly against Ryan Gusto.

The Diamondbacks' own roster has been in motion recently. Corbin Burnes was activated from the injured list and returned to the rotation, though still operating under a strict pitch count while regaining feel for his breaking pitches. Separately, the club designated outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for assignment, and Corbin Carroll has been scratched from the lineup on consecutive nights with low back discomfort. None of those moves directly involve Rashi, but they illustrate the kind of September roster churn that defines this stretch of the calendar across the league — a reminder that the 40-man roster is a living document, and that the waiver wire is always open for business.

What we don't know yet

The report preserves meaningful uncertainty about Rashi's immediate future. Whether the Athletics elect to call him back to the majors before the season ends is unresolved — and that outcome would affect his minor league free agency eligibility. Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors notes he is expected to be able to pursue a minor league contract this winter, or potentially an opportunity overseas, but those are contingent paths, not settled plans.

It is also worth noting that the 22-inning major league sample is genuinely small. The 5.32 ERA carries real information, particularly given which pitches have been hit hard, but it does not foreclose the possibility that a different organizational context — one that leans into the slider and splitter while limiting his exposure to hitters who can sit on a 90 mph fastball — might produce different results.

What to watch

Is Rashi in line to become a minor league free agent this winter?

Per Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors, that outcome is on the table — assuming the Athletics do not call him back to the majors before the regular season ends, Rashi will have enough professional experience at season's end to qualify for minor league free agency. That would open the market to him this offseason, with a minor league deal or an overseas opportunity among the possibilities the report raises.

The broader question is whether any club this winter looks at the 3.35 Triple-A ERA, the swing-and-miss rate against upper-minors competition, and the mid-80s slider with good results and decides the 90 mph fastball is a workable tradeoff in the right role. The waiver wire just registered its answer. The offseason market, which operates on different logic and longer time horizons, may yet reach a different conclusion.