Dodgers claiming former Rays first-round pick worked out well in team debut

Brent Honeywell has been put through the ringer over the past few days. He was DFA'ed by the Pirates on Friday, picked up by the Dodgers on Saturday, and activated on Sunday to make his a start as part of a bullpen day against the Tigers in Detroit. He pitched only 3 1/3 innings with Pittsburgh in relief before getting cut, and he reportedly arrived in Detroit at midnight before making his Dodgers debut 13 hours later.

Dave Roberts referred to the move, which also sent Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the 60-day IL and Ricky Vanasco back to Triple-A, as "desperate times," which just about sums it up.

"I don't think there's any other way to say it. It's unfortunate," Roberts continued. "We're here for various reasons but it doesn't change the fact that this is where we're at. We still needed to find someone and I just hope to God that Brent can go out there and give us some length today."

Luckily for the Dodgers, Honeywell came in seemingly motivated by his context; a guy who was just DFA'ed and aiming to solidify his place in another bullpen understandably had a lot to prove.

He pitched three innings on Sunday and gave up one hit and no walks while striking out two in a bullpen-on-bullpen match. Although the Dodgers lost it in the ninth due to some fumbling from Yohan Ramírez, Honeywell did more than his part.

Dodgers picked up reliever Brent Honeywell after Pirates DFA, and he came through against Tigers

Honeywell was a Competitive Balance B pick for the Rays in 2014 and was a top-ranked prospect from 2015 to 2021, even No. 1 in 2018. He started the 2017 All-Star Futures Game as a screwball master, and became the first pitcher ever to win MVP honors in the showcase. However, 2018 through 2020 featured a myriad of injuries, including a torn UCL and Tommy John in 2018, a fractured elbow in 2019, and another elbow surgery in 2020. He made his MLB debut in 2021 and threw two perfect innings, but he'd slipped down the Rays' prospect leaderboards and was traded to the Athletics for cash at the end of the season.

Including the A's and Dodgers, he's bounced between five clubs since the Rays let him go. His stint with the Pirates lasted all of five months; he signed a minor league deal with them ahead of this season and was DFA'ed in July.

There's really no telling how long Honeywell will be with the Dodgers with the trade deadline two weeks away and a fleet of injured players prepared to return at some point. It's entirely possible that the Dodgers will let him go if they get a proven reliever or two at the end of the month, but at least he came through in a desperate moment for the Dodgers and has set himself up well to make a case for himself with another club if LA dumps him at the deadline.