Wentz (4-4) took the loss Friday against the Mets, allowing six runs on nine hits and two walks in 3.1 innings. He struck out three.
It was one of the worst outings of the year for Wentz, who tied a season high in runs allowed and set a season worst in hits allowed. The 3.1 innings were also the left-hander's fewest in a start this season. With Chris Sale (ribs) on a rehab assignment, Wentz could soon revert back to the bullpen. Wentz has a 3.94 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 34:14 K:BB over 38 frames for Atlanta, and his next appearance tentatively lines up to come on the road against the division-rival Marlins.
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Braves' Joey Wentz: Notches win with quality start
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Wentz (4-3) earned the victory over Cleveland on Saturday, allowing one run on three hits and two walks while striking out five batters over six innings.
The only run the Guardians scored off Wentz came on a third-inning Brayan Rocchio homer. The left-handed hurler was otherwise outstanding, recording his second quality start of the campaign and his second straight victory. Wentz has done well since moving into Atlanta's rotation July 19, registering a 2.87 ERA with a 25:11 K:BB over 31.2 innings spanning six starts. As such, he seems like a lock to remain in a starting role even when Chris Sale (ribcage) comes off the IL, which is likely to happen before the end of August.
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Braves' Joey Wentz: Earns third win
Rotowire
Wentz (3-3) earned the win against the Marlins on Sunday, allowing one run four hits and three walks with two strikeouts over 5.1 innings.
Wentz generated just five whiffs on 88 pitches and allowed 11 hard-hit balls but limited the Marlins to a single run in the second inning. Since joining the rotation July 19, the southpaw has posted a 3.16 ERA over 25.2 innings. He'll carry a 5.03 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 54:30 K:BB across 62.2 frames this season into a road matchup with the Guardians next weekend.
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Braves' Joey Wentz: Tough night against Brew Crew
Rotowire
Wentz (2-3) took the loss Tuesday as Atlanta fell 7-2 to the Brewers, coughing up five runs on seven hits and a walk over 5.1 innings. He struck out three.
Most of the damage off the southpaw came in the third inning, when Milwaukee strung together four singles -- two of which didn't leave the infield -- along with a walk, a stolen base and a wild pitch to cross the plate four times. Despite the stumble, Wentz has a 3.09 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 24:7 K:BB over his first 23.1 innings with Atlanta, and the team's injury-ravaged rotation has no better options to take a turn every fifth day. He'll look to bounce back in his next start, which is scheduled to come at home this weekend against the Marlins.
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Braves' Joey Wentz: Credits cutter for recent success
Rotowire
Wentz adjusted the grip on his cutter last month, which he says has fueled his recent form, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
The 27-year-old southpaw struggled earlier in the season for the Pirates and Twins, but since Atlanta claimed him off the waiver wire July 11, Wentz has delivered a 1.50 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 21:6 K:BB over 18 innings and four appearances (three starts). "Joey's been great," manager Brian Snitker said after Wednesday's game, in which Wentz blanked the Royals over 6.2 innings. "It's just been about getting him stretched out, and now he is. He's just kind of quietly doing a really, really good job for us. And we're in a situation because we were looking for starters." Wentz's mediocre big-league track record still outweighs his July numbers, but if his cutter has become a true out pitch, he might finally begin to live up to his draft pedigree after being the 40th overall selection in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft.
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Braves' Joey Wentz: Impressive in third start
Rotowire
Wentz didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Royals, allowing just one hit and three walks over 6.2 scoreless innings. He struck out seven.
Making just his third start of the season, Wentz was stellar, holding the Royals to just one hit -- a single by Maikel Garcia to lead off the game. The 27-year-old left-hander has allowed just four runs (three earned) across 15 innings in his first three starts this year. Wentz has pitched for three teams this season (Atlanta, Minnesota and Pittsburgh) primarily in relief, posting a 5.02 ERA with a 1.44 WHIP and 49:26 K:BB across 52 innings. Wentz has certainly pitched well enough to earn an extended look in Atlanta's rotation, especially given how many starters the team currently has on the IL. He'd currently line up to face the Brewers at home in his next outing.
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Braves' Joey Wentz: Season-high six Ks in second loss
Rotowire
Wentz (2-2) took the loss Friday against the Rangers, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and one walk in 4.1 innings. He struck out six.
Wentz set a season high in strikeouts, and he also managed to throw a season-high 81 pitches. The 27-year-old left-hander appears close to being fully stretched out to take on a starter's workload, which should enhance his streaming appeal in deeper leagues when he's set for a favorable matchup. Wentz owns a 5.56 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 42:23 K:BB across 45.1 frames, and he's next tentatively lined up to face a Royals team with an .888 OPS versus left-handed pitching since the start of July.
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Braves' Joey Wentz: Receiving another start
Rotowire
Wentz is slated to start Friday's game against the Rangers in Arlington.
Wentz will pick up a second straight start after he struck out two over four scoreless innings in his first turn through the rotation out of the All-Star break this past Saturday against the Yankees. After having mostly served as a reliever this season across stops with Pittsburgh, Minnesota and now Atlanta, Wentz is still in the process of getting stretched out, so he could be limited to around five innings or 70 pitches Friday.
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Braves' Joey Wentz: Clean outing in no-decision
Rotowire
Wentz did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing two hits and one walk over four scoreless innings in a 12-9 loss against the Yankees. He struck out two.
Wentz pitched well with four shutout frames, though the Atlanta bullpen followed with a disastrous performance. The southpaw has bounced between three teams this season with mixed results, but he's off to a strong start in Atlanta, posting seven scoreless innings across two appearances. Saturday marked his first start of the year, so it remains to be seen whether he sticks in the rotation or shifts back to a bullpen role.
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Braves' Joey Wentz: Claimed by Atlanta
Rotowire
Atlanta claimed Wentz off waivers Friday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Wentz was designated for assignment by the Twins on Wednesday, and he'll get a fresh start. He replaces Kevin Herget on the 40-man roster. Wentz has appeared in 25 MLB games this season, 19 with Pittsburgh and six with Minnesota. He's posted a 6.88 ERA and a 28:20 K:BB across 34 total innings.
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Twins' Joey Wentz: Claimed by Twins
Rotowire
The Twins claimed Wentz off waivers from the Pirates on Wednesday.
Wentz is out of minor-league options and will be added to the Twins' active roster prior to Thursday's game against the Rangers. He's posted a 4.15 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 22:11 K:BB over 26 innings at the big-league level in 2025.
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Pirates' Joey Wentz: DFA'd by Pittsburgh
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The Pirates designated Wentz for assignment Saturday, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Wentz has pitched in 19 games for the Pirates this season, posting a 4.15 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 22:11 K:BB over 26 innings. His last outing took place back on May 27, when he earned a win in relief by throwing 3.2 innings of one-run ball. Per Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com, both righty reliever Isaac Mattson and catcher Brett Sullivan have lockers in Pittsburgh's clubhouse Saturday, so it sounds like additional moves are forthcoming.
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Pirates' Joey Wentz: Activated by Pirates
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The Pirates activated Wentz on Thursday after he was claimed off waivers Tuesday from the Tigers.
Wentz was designated for assignment by the Tigers on Friday, but finds himself back on an active roster Thursday. In his last seven appearances, he has pitched 10.1 innings and had shutout outings in all but one of them. The one blemish in the stretch was when he gave up four earned in one inning against the Cubs on Aug. 22. To make room for Wentz on the active roster, Domingo German was designated for assignment Thursday.
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Pirates' Joey Wentz: Claimed by Pittsburgh
Rotowire
The Pirates claimed Wentz off waivers from the Tigers on Tuesday.
Wentz was used as a full-time reliever this season for the first time, holding a 5.37 ERA and 60:27 K:BB over 55.1 innings. The left-hander is under team control through 2029 and is still just 26, so the Pirates thought he was worth a shot. Wentz is out of minor-league options, so he will report directly to the major-league club.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Scrubbed from 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Tigers designated Wentz for assignment Friday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Wentz struck out three over two scoreless frames in Thursday's loss to the Angels, but he had mostly struggled of late with a 5.66 ERA since July 1. The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for the return of Casey Mize (hamstring) from the 60-day injured list.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Earns first career save
Rotowire
Wentz tossed three scoreless innings of relief to earn the save in Tuesday's 15-1 win over the Mariners. He walked one and struck out three.
It was about the easiest first career MLB save imaginable for Wentz, as he entered the game with that 15-1 lead already established. The lefty came into the night with a 6.57 ERA and 2.11 WHIP since the start of July, so it was refreshing to see him pitch well, even in the low-leverage spot. Wentz has limited fantasy value moving forward, however, given his middle-relief role and lack of consistency.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Allows two more runs Friday
Rotowire
Wentz allowed two runs on four hits across 2.1 innings of relief in Friday's 9-3 loss to the Twins. He walked one and struck out three.
The Tigers turned to Wentz for some length after starter Keider Montero allowed six runs over five innings, and he continued his recent struggles. Wentz has allowed runs in his last five appearances and his season ERA has climbed to 5.73. While Detroit may have some rotation spots open up in the near future if it trades one or both of Jack Flaherty and Tarik Skubal, Wentz likely wouldn't be a reliable fantasy option if he took on a starting role.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Takes loss Tuesday
Rotowire
Wentz (0-2) allowed three runs on three hits across two innings of relief to take the loss Tuesday against the Guardians. He walked two and struck out three.
With the Tigers making the contest a bullpen game, Wentz entered after Tyler Holton and Alex Faedo each tossed 1.2 innings. Wentz struggled, with Jose Ramirez punctuating the poor outing with a solo shot. The lefty had a 0.87 ERA after six April appearances, but it's mostly been downhill since then, and he now has a 5.62 ERA overall. Wentz had a 6.90 ERA working primarily as a starter last year, so his recent track record doesn't provide much optimism that things will turn around anytime soon.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Takes first 2024 loss
Rotowire
Wentz (0-1) allowed three runs on four hits across 2.2 innings of relief to take the loss Wednesday against the Rangers. He walked four and struck out two.
Detroit starter Kenta Maeda left the game after throwing just two pitches due to right abdominal discomfort, which forced Wentz into action earlier than usual. The lefty struggled, particularly from a control standpoint, and sustained his first loss of the season. Wentz got off to a good start in his new relief role, logging a 0.61 ERA across his first nine appearances of the year, but he's fallen apart since then. Over his last eight outings, Wentz has an ugly 17.00 ERA, and he has virtually no fantasy value as a sputtering long reliever.
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Tigers' Joey Wentz: Keeps cruising Monday
Rotowire
Wentz tossed two scoreless innings of relief in Monday's 2-1 loss to the Guardians. He allowed one hit and struck out four.
Wentz relieved starter Jack Flaherty and kept Detroit in the game, as the lefty continued his excellent start to the season. He lowered his ERA to 0.68 and now has 18 strikeouts across 13.1 innings. Wentz flopped as a starter last year but has reinvented himself as an effective long reliever. It's not the most fantasy-friendly role, but he could help with ratios, strikeouts and the occasional win in deeper formats.
