Outright Assignments: Kuhnel, Emanuel

Rounding up some recent outright assignments….

• The Brewers outrighted Joel Kuhnel to Triple-A Nashville, as per the right-hander’s MLB.com profile page.  Kuhnel was designated for assignment earlier this week, and for the second time this month, he has been outrighted off a team’s 40-man roster.  The Blue Jays previously outrighted Kuhnel, and he opted for free agency and a subsequent minor league deal with Milwaukee.  It isn’t yet known if he’ll choose free agency again over accepting this outright assignment, or if Kuhnel perhaps wants some stability after already being part of three different organizations in the last two months.  A veteran of five big league seasons, Kuhnel’s 2024 resume consists of two innings in a single appearances with the Astros at the MLB level, and a 2.52 ERA over 25 Triple-A relief innings.
• The Marlins have outrighted left-hander Kent Emanuel to Triple-A Jacksonville, according to his MLB.com profile page.  This is the fourth time Emanuel has been DFA’ed and then outrighted to the Marlins’ top affiliate in the last three months, and it seems likely that he’ll again accept his outright rather than test the free agent market.  Amidst the flurry of contract selections and outrights, Emanuel has posted a 6.75 ERA over 9 1/3 relief innings for Miami, which represents his first MLB action since 17 2/3 innings with the Astros in his 2021 debut season.  Emanuel also has a 6.60 ERA in 30 Triple-A innings this season, but despite these rough results, he’ll probably continue in his role as bullpen depth and a perpetual 26th or 27th man on the roster.