The Orioles announced that left-hander Nick Raquet, who was designated for assignment yesterday, has cleared unconditional release waivers. He is now a free agent and eligible to be signed by any club.

When a player is designated for assignment, a team then has three choices for what to do with him. He can be traded, placed on outright waivers or placed on release waivers. Since the trade deadline passed a month ago, a trade of Raquet wasn’t possible. Also, Raquet was on the minor league injured list due to an elbow injury at the time he was designated for assignment, reports Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun. Injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers, so that left a release as the only option for Baltimore.

In these situations, it’s common for the player and team to reunite on a minor league deal. Perhaps Raquet will be back with the O’s in a non-roster capacity soon but he will also have the chance to explore opportunities with all clubs.

His major league track record is still quite limited, as he has thrown just 5 2/3 innings between the Cardinals and Orioles, allowing three earned runs. He’s been far more impressive in the minors. Dating back to the start of last season, he has thrown 96 1/3 innings on the farm with a 2.90 earned run average. He struck out 27.3% of opponents in that time while limiting walks to a 6.2% pace. His four-seamer and sinker both average around 91 miles per hour but he throws his slider more than both of those pitches combined, while also sprinkling in a cutter and changeup.

Photo courtesy of Joe Nicholson, Imagn Images