Orioles claim Cole Sulser off waivers

The Orioles didn't waste much time filling their 40-man roster again.

One day after outrighting pitcher Chandler Shepherd to Triple-A Norfolk, the Orioles have claimed right-handed reliever Cole Sulser off waivers from the Rays and slipped him into the vacant spot.

Sulser, 29, made seven relief appearances for the Rays last month and didn't allow a run. He surrendered five hits, walked three batters and struck out nine in his first 7 1/3 innings in the majors.

The Rays included Sulser on their expanded September roster and his season ended with a scoreless ninth inning against the Red Sox that included a walk and two strikeouts.

Sulser was used primarily as a reliever this summer at Triple-A Durham, with only four starts made among his 49 appearances. He went 6-3 with a 3.27 ERA and 1.136 WHIP in 66 innings and he averaged 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings.

The former 25th-round draft pick of the Indians has averaged 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings over six minor league seasons. He registered 78 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings at Triple-A Columbus in 2018 and 17 in nine innings at Double-A Akron.

Sulser has posted a 3.91 ERA and 1.233 WHIP in 444 1/3 minor league innings. He's averaged 0.5 home runs allowed per nine innings.

The Indians selected Sulser out of Dartmouth College and included him in the December 2018 three-team trade with the Rays and Mariners that included Yandy Díaz, Carlos Santana and Edwin Encarnacion.

The Rays brought Sulser to the majors on Sept. 2 while the Orioles were in town. They designated him for assignment on Sunday to make room for Díaz on the 40-man roster.

Sulser is a fastball, slider and changeup guy. His fastball averaged 93.4 mph with the Rays, according to Statcast data.