A.J. Morris

Position: RHP
Born: 12/1/1986
Height: 6'2
Weight: 195
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Signed as a minor league free agent December 27, 2015 (CIN). Originally drafted in the fourth round of the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft (WSH).

Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA in nine games, six of them starts, at Louisville (Triple-A), striking out 21 and walking nine while allowing 32 hits in 30 innings.

Info & MLB Debut Date
Contract purchased from Louisville May 22 when RHPs Dayan Diaz and Josh Smith were brought up and RHPs Jumbo Diaz and Keyvius Sampson were sent down and RHP Steve Delabar was designated for assignment.
MLB Debut Date: 5/24/2016

Debut Details
May 24, in an 8-2 loss to the Dodgers. The fourth of five pitchers, he allowed three runs, all earned, on one hit over two-thirds of an inning, walking three and striking out one. Coming in to start the eighth inning in relief of reliever Caleb Cotham, he got Carl Crawford to line out and struck out Yasmani Grandal swinging before walking Howie Kendrick, Chase Utley and Corey Seager (all on full counts) to load the bases. Justin Turner followed with a two-run single to center field at which point the last Reds pitcher of the night, Josh Smith, came on to relieve Morris and gave up a single to Adrian Gonzalez which allowed Seager to score.

Player Notes
The well-traveled Morris gets the call in his eighth pro season (in terms of time–he did not pitch at all in 2011) and by his fourth organization, just six months shy of his 30th birthday. Despite his reasonably high draft status, Morris has missed time with injuries, and did not make his Triple-A debut until 2014 where he went 2-4 with a 4.54 ERA in seven starts at Indianapolis (Pirates) just a few short months after being picked up for a song by Pittsburgh in the minor league phase of the 2013 Rule 5 Draft. The next summer, back at Indianapolis, he went 5-3 with a 2.44 ERA in 44 games, mostly in relief, striking out 72 and walking just 22 in 84.2 IP, which earned him that second look from the Nationals during the offseason. His baseball passport saw him dealt from the Nats to the Cubs on January 17, 2011, along with fellow prospects OF Michael Burgess and LHP Graham Hicks for LHP Tom Gorzelanny. Though he did not pitch in 2011, he posted a 2.24 ERA for Daytona (High A Cubs) with seven saves in 2012. Picked up by the Pirates following the 2013 campaign, he was granted his minor league free agency on November 6, 2015. Overall, Morris had a 3.22 ERA in 186 career games, striking out 375 batters and walking 147 over 472.1 IP.