The Dodgers designated Vanasco for assignment Wednesday.
The Dodgers optioned Vanasco to Triple-A on July 14, and the 25-year-old righty will now lose his spot on the 40-man roster in order to make room for Nick Ahmed, who signed a major-league deal with the team on Wednesday. Vanasco owns a 3.47 ERA and 1.73 WHIP through 23.1 innings in Triple-A on the year, and it's possible he attracts some interest on waivers from teams in need of bullpen depth.
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Dodgers' Ricky Vanasco: Set to lose 40-man spot
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The Dodgers are expected to designate Vanasco for assignment, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
The move might not be made official until Thursday, when the Dodgers will need to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for the return of Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start against the Giants. Vanasco -- who was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on July 14 -- has made two appearances with the Dodgers this season, allowing three earned runs over two innings.
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Dodgers' Ricky Vanasco: Sent out to Oklahoma City
Rotowire
The Dodgers optioned Vanasco to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Vanasco will cede his spot on the 26-man active roster to right-hander Brent Honeywell, who will get the start in Sunday's series finale versus the Tigers after being claimed off waivers from the Pirates a day earlier. During his latest stint with the Dodgers, Vanasco made his lone appearance in Saturday's 11-9 extra-inning loss to the Tigers and failed to record an out while getting charged with three earned runs on three hits.
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Dodgers' Ricky Vanasco: Gets call-up to majors
Rotowire
The Dodgers recalled Vanasco from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
Vanasco will join the Dodgers to provide some extra coverage in the bullpen through the All-Star break, with right-hander Bobby Miller heading to the minors in a corresponding move after lasting just four innings in his start in Tuesday's 10-1 loss to the Phillies. Up with the big club for the third time this season, Vanasco made just one two-inning appearance between his previous two stints with the Dodgers.
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Dodgers' Ricky Vanasco: Recalled by Los Angeles
Rotowire
The Dodgers recalled Vanasco from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday.
Vanasco made his major-league debut April 15 against the Nationals, throwing two scoreless innings while striking out one batter. He was optioned to Triple-A the next day, and he has not yielded an earned run over his last four relief appearances with Oklahoma City. To make room for Vanasco, the Dodgers optioned southpaw Nick Ramirez to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
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Dodgers' Ricky Vanasco: Sent back to minors
Rotowire
The Dodgers optioned Vanasco to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Vanasco threw two scoreless innings and struck out a batter during his MLB debut Monday, but he'll now return to Triple-A in favor of Kyle Hurt and Eduardo Salazar. Vanasco has been impressive since reaching Triple-A toward the end of last season and could return to Los Angeles later in the year.
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Dodgers' Ricky Vanasco: Re-signs with Dodgers
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The Dodgers re-signed Vanasco to a one-year, $900,000 contract Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Vanasco elected to become a free agent earlier this month, but he'll return to the Dodgers on a major-league deal following a short tour of the open market. The 25-year-old right-hander has yet to make his MLB debut, but he posted an impressive 1.24 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 29 innings this past season between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City after being acquired from the Rangers in June. He should be a candidate for the Opening Day bullpen in Los Angeles next spring.
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Dodgers' Ricky Vanasco: Removed from 40-man roster
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The Dodgers designated Vanasco for assignment Friday, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Vanasco was removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Daniel Hudson (knee), who was activated off the 60-day injured list. Vanasco will head back to the minors and provide organizational depth if he isn't claimed or traded, but the 24-year-old could be an intriguing dart throw for a pitching-needy club given his strikeout upside.
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Rangers' Ricky Vanasco: Undergoes knee surgery
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Vanasco will be sidelined for 4-to-6 weeks after recently undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
Vanasco suffered the knee injury while fielding a ground ball during his final outing of spring training last week in a minor-league game. Since he's expected to be shut down from baseball activities for at least one month, Vanasco may require another month after that to build his arm up, so he shouldn't be expected to make his 2023 debut until late May or early June. The right-hander will likely report to Double-A Frisco or Triple-A Round Rock when available after pitching to a 4.68 ERA with a 1.53 WHIP over 23 appearances between Frisco and High-A Hickory in 2022.
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Rangers' Ricky Vanasco: Rusty at High-A
Rotowire
Vanasco has struggled with his control to start the season with High-A Hickory, walking six while allowing four earned runs in four innings across two starts.
While Vanasco pitched in fall instructs, this was his first official game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2020. He has some rust to knock off, and command and control are often the last things to return for a pitcher coming back from that surgery.
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Rangers' Ricky Vanasco: Protected from Rule 5 draft
Rotowire
Vanasco (elbow) was added to the Rangers' 40-man roster Friday.
Even though Vanasco missed the 2021 season while recovering from September 2020 Tommy John surgery, he is one of the best pitching prospects in this system. He was in the mid-to-high-90s with his fastball in fall instructs could turn heads in the middle levels of the Rangers' system in 2022.
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Rangers' Ricky Vanasco: Needs Tommy John surgery
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Vanasco will undergo Tommy John surgery Monday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Vanasco spent over a month working out at the Rangers' alternate training site, but that unfortunately will ultimately end up setting his career back rather than helping it move forward. The timing of the surgery means he's all but guaranteed to miss the entirety of the 2021 season, though he should be ready around the time spring training kicks off in 2022. While he should remain at least a fairly interesting prospect, he will have thrown a total of 83.1 innings over five seasons as a professional at that point, with none of them coming above Low-A and none coming in the last two years.
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Rangers' Ricky Vanasco: Joins player pool
Rotowire
Vanasco was added to the Rangers' 60-man roster Wednesday.
Vanasco will develop at the alternate training site after a strong 2019 campaign in the minors in which he posted a 1.81 ERA with 75 strikeouts over 49.2 innings in 11 starts between short-season Spokane and Low-A Hickory. The right-hander worked on developing his changeup over the offseason and will get to further improve his repertoire among other top prospects within the organization as the 2020 season progresses.
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Rangers' Ricky Vanasco: Working on changeup
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The Rangers want Vanasco to develop his changeup, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Vanasco blossomed in 2019, adding 2-3 MPH to his fastball, putting him in the 94-97 MPH range with an ability to top out at 99, while striking out 75 over 49.2 innings at short-season Spokane and Low-A HIckory. The 21-year-old right-hander commands the heater and has a good feel for the curveball, which was enough to get by at the lower levels, but his changeup lags. The organization had Vanasco on a changeup quota last year, and it remains a work in progress. One AL scout said adding a dependable changeup is the key to his future; it either keeps him on a starter's trajectory or moves him to a back end of the bullpen.
