Tampa Bay Rays Release Danny Farquhar

After being designated for assignment and removed from the Tampa Bay Rays 40 man roster, it seemed as though Danny Farquhar’s days were numbered. The other shoe dropped on Thursday, as he was released by the Rays.

The Tampa Bay Rays had high hopes for Danny Farquhar heading into the 2017 campaign. Not only was the righty expected to serve as a second weapon against lefties given his overall success against them in his career, but he was one of the candidates to fill in during the seventh and eighth inning until Brad Boxberger returned. At least, that was the plan.

Instead, Farquhar struggled after his strong 2016 campaign. In his 35 innings, Farquhar posted a 4.11 ERA and a 1.429 WHiP, walking 22 batters against 33 strikeouts. Given that performance, it was not a surprise that he was designated for assignment, and then outrighted to Durham. After continuing to struggle with the Bulls, the Rays have now released the veteran reliever.

#Rays release RHP Danny Farquhar, who had been outrighted to Durham
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) July 20, 2017

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It is a bit of a surprise, as there was hope that Farquhar could turn things around in AAA. However, those hopes have been dashed by his performance at Durham, as Farquhar continued to struggle with his command. In his 3.2 innings, he allowed three runs on two hits and three walks. Combined with the acquisition of Chaz Roe to serve as minor league depth in case he is needed at the major league level, Farquhar had become expendable.

Meanwhile, it would not be a surprise if another team took a chance on the righty reliever. Despite his struggles with his command, Farquhar was still striking out nearly a batter per inning. Given the amount of teams searching for bullpen help, Farquhar may not be out of a job for long.

Next: Rays sneaking into contention in AL East

The Tampa Bay Rays have decided to release Danny Farquhar. If he can fix his command, that may be a move that comes back to haunt them.