J.B. Wendelken

Position: RHP
Born: 3/24/1993
Height: 6'0
Weight: 220
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Via trade with teh White Sox, along with LHP Zack Erwin for 3B Brett Lawrie on December 9, 2015 (OAK). Originally drafted in the 13th round of the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft (BOS)

Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA in 10 games at Nashville (Triple-A), striking out 20 in 11 innings, walking just four while allowing 14 hits.

Info & MLB Debut Date
Recalled from Nashville May 8 when RHP Jesse Hahn was sent down. PLAYER NOTES: In between being drafted by the Red Sox in 2012 and joining the A’s organization this past offseason, Wendelken was part of a massive three-team, seven-player deal among the Red Sox, White Sox and Tigers back on July 30, 2013. Just for fun, here’s a recap (deep breath, please): The Red Sox sent Wendelken, RHP Frankie Montas and SS Cleuluis Rondon to the White Sox and SS Jose Iglesias to the Tigers; the White Sox sent RHP Jake Peavy to the Red Sox; the Tigers sent OF Avisail Garcia to the White Sox; and the Tigers sent RHP Brayan Villareal to the Red Sox. There will be a test on this later! Wendelken has spent most of his career as a reliever, where his plus changeup and fastball in the low 90s but limited stamina fits well, though he did work as a starter all of 2014 at Winston-Salem (High A, White Sox), going 7-10 with a 5.25 ERA in 27 starts, allowing 181 hits in 146 innings and walking just 33 while fanning 129. More recently, he split the 2015 campaign between Birmingham (Double-A) and Charlotte (Triple-A), combining to go 6-2 with a 3.20 ERA in 39 games, collecting five saves and striking out 56 while walking 11 and allowing 36 hits in 43 innings. In his four-plus seasons, his hits-to-innings-pitched has been okay (335:315.2) but his walks-to-strikeouts has been more impressive (84:324).
MLB Debut Date: 5/8/2016

Debut Details
May 8, in an 11-3 loss to the Orioles. The fourth of five pitchers (with the fifth being C Josh Phegley, who was making his first-ever big league appearance on the mound), Wendelken allowed four runs, all earned, on four hits in an inning and a third, walking one and striking out two. All four runs came on an eighth-inning grand slam by Manny Machado. Wendelken came on in relief of Marc Rzepczynski to start the seventh inning and, after giving up a single to Adam Jones on the first major league pitch he threw, he retired the next three batters to retire the side. In the eighth, he gave up a leadoff single to right field by Jonathan Schoop, walked Ryan Flaherty and then issued a single to left by Joey Rickard to load the bases. Machado worked a full count before homering to center. Wendelken did stay in the game to get the next batter, Chris Davis, looking at a called strike three before Phegley came in to finish things up.

Player Notes
In between being drafted by the Red Sox in 2012 and joining the A’s organization this past offseason, Wendelken was part of a massive three-team, seven-player deal among the Red Sox, White Sox and Tigers back on July 30, 2013. Just for fun, here’s a recap (deep breath, please): The Red Sox sent Wendelken, RHP Frankie Montas and SS Cleuluis Rondon to the White Sox and SS Jose Iglesias to the Tigers; the White Sox sent RHP Jake Peavy to the Red Sox; the Tigers sent OF Avisail Garcia to the White Sox; and the Tigers sent RHP Brayan Villareal to the Red Sox. There will be a test on this later! Wendelken has spent most of his career as a reliever, where his plus changeup and fastball in the low 90s but limited stamina fits well, though he did work as a starter all of 2014 at Winston-Salem (High A, White Sox), going 7-10 with a 5.25 ERA in 27 starts, allowing 181 hits in 146 innings and walking just 33 while fanning 129. More recently, he split the 2015 campaign between Birmingham (Double-A) and Charlotte (Triple-A), combining to go 6-2 with a 3.20 ERA in 39 games, collecting five saves and striking out 56 while walking 11 and allowing 36 hits in 43 innings. In his four-plus seasons, his hits-to-innings-pitched has been okay (335:315.2) but his walks-to-strikeouts has been more impressive (84:324).