JUST IN: Dodgers sign 27-year-old key man with huge agreement

The Dodgers have signed right-handed pitcher Chris Vallimont to a minor league deal. The 27-year-old made a start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.

This season, Vallimont played for the York Revolution in the independent Atlantic League, posting a 3.29 ERA across five starts, with 33 strikeouts and seven walks in 27⅓ innings. He made his major league debut with the Orioles last July, pitching a scoreless two-thirds of an inning and recording one strikeout in his only game.

In Triple-A last year, Vallimont recorded a 5.53 ERA over 30 games, including nine starts for Norfolk and Columbus, part of the Orioles and Guardians systems respectively. He amassed 86 strikeouts and 46 walks in 86⅓ innings.

Drafted by the Marlins in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, Vallimont has since pitched in the minors for Miami, the Twins, the Orioles, and the Guardians, with his sole major league appearance coming with Baltimore.

Player of the day

Oklahoma City shortstop Trey Sweeney had a standout performance on Wednesday in Albuquerque, collecting four hits, including three home runs. In the second inning, Sweeney hit an inside-the-park homer to the deepest part of the field and scored standing up. He followed this with two-run home runs over the fence in the fourth and ninth innings, and added a single in the sixth inning.

🚨 THREE-HOMER NIGHT FOR TREY SWEENEY 🚨

One of the inside-the-park variety, two over the fence for @okc_baseball.@Dodgers | @DodgerPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/QWsOadbNUL

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 30, 2024

Trey Sweeney’s three home runs on Wednesday set a career high and marked the first three-homer game for Oklahoma City since Keibert Ruiz achieved the feat in July 2021, just before being traded. Sweeney’s four hits and five RBIs tied his career highs, previously matched on April 25, also in Albuquerque. He has had two other four-hit games: on July 12, 2022, for High-A Hudson Valley, and on September 8, 2021, for Low-A Tampa while in the Yankees system.

Prior to last Friday, Sweeney had hit only two home runs in his first 45 games of the season. However, he has since hit five home runs, including homers in three of his last four games.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Despite the high altitude in Albuquerque, Oklahoma City pitching excelled in a win over the Albuquerque Isotopes (Rockies). Newly-signed Chris Vallimont pitched six scoreless innings, striking out five and allowing only four hits and a walk in his debut for the Dodgers organization.

Vallimont averaged 91.5 mph on his fastball and generated 12 swinging strikes, with nine coming from his changeup, which he threw for nearly half of his 73 pitches (35).

Kody Hoese contributed with a two-hit game and scored twice. Austin Gauthier tripled in the second inning but was picked off third base by the catcher. James Outman singled, was hit by a pitch, and stole two bases.

Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers mounted a comeback to tie the game in the ninth inning and then overcame a deficit to defeat the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals) in 10 innings.

Taylor Young contributed with two hits, a walk, and a stolen base, and his RBI single in the ninth sent the game into extra innings. In the 10th, down by a run, Diego Cartaya walked with the bases loaded to tie the game, followed by Austin Beck’s walk-off single to secure the win.

Jared Karros had another strong outing for Tulsa, striking out eight and walking one over 5⅓ innings, allowing just one run on two hits.

High-A Great Lakes

Loons pitchers allowed only two runs, but the offense managed just one hit in a shutout loss to the West Michigan Whitecaps (Tigers). The game had an early start at 11 a.m. local time, which might explain the slow performance from the batters.

Only three Great Lakes hitters reached base on Wednesday. Luis Rodriguez walked to lead off the third inning and advanced to second on a ground out, providing the Loons with their only two at-bats with a runner in scoring position, both resulting in flyouts.

Jake Gelof singled with one out in the fifth inning, breaking up the combined no-hitter, but he was erased three pitches later on a double play. Nick Biddison was hit by a pitch in the sixth inning, but the final 11 Loons batters were retired in order.

On the pitching side, Lucas Wepf stood out, striking out five in two perfect innings of relief. The right-hander has a 2.08 ERA with 30 strikeouts and a 36.6-percent strikeout rate in his 21⅔ innings this season.

Low-A Rancho Cucamonga

Jeral Perez hit a two-run home run with two outs in the ninth inning to force extra innings, but the Quakes ultimately lost in 10 innings to the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres).

Gabe Emmett pitched four innings in relief, allowing one run and striking out three.

Transactions

**Triple-A:** Right-hander Chris Vallimont signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers, marking the 100th transaction for Oklahoma City in 2024, as noted by broadcaster Alex Freedman on Wednesday. Nick Ramirez was returned to Oklahoma City after serving as the 27th player for the Dodgers in Tuesday’s doubleheader in New York, though he did not pitch.

**Double-A:** Hyun-il Choi was sent back to the Drillers after two consecutive one-run starts with Oklahoma City. The right-hander has been called up to OKC and then sent back to Tulsa three times this season.

**High-A:** Right-hander Christian Romero was sent back to the Loons after making a spot start for Oklahoma City and two for Tulsa. Quakes game notes on Wednesday mentioned that pitcher Jose Rodriguez was promoted to Great Lakes after posting a 5.19 ERA and a team-best 59 strikeouts against only 13 walks in 34⅔ innings with Rancho Cucamonga. Rodriguez last pitched on Sunday, so it may take a day or two before this move becomes official.

**Low-A:** On Tuesday, Quakes first baseman Joe Vetrano was placed on the injured list, retroactive to May 24.