Miami Marlins release Donnie Joseph

Miami acquired lefty reliever Donnie Joseph from the Royals last June in exchange for cash considerations and felt he would give them left-handed pitching depth. After the trade, Joseph spent the second half of the 2014 season with Triple-A New Orleans, however according to MLB Trade Rumors' Mark Polishuk, Miami released Joseph from Triple-A earlier this week.

Joseph emerged as a Reds prospect but was traded to Kansas City in the Jonathan Broxton deal in 2012. He has posted a 3.84 ERA and 11.9 K/9 in over 316 minor league innings, but only has 6.1 career major league innings with the Royals between 2013 and 2014 to his name.

Before being dealt to Miami, Joseph spent most of the 2014 season in Triple-A with Kansas City, where he was 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA and 5.36 FIP in 25.2 innings pitched. He made one appearance with the Royals in the middle of June, during which he gave up six runs to the Detroit Tigers in two thirds of an inning.

Heading into spring training having dealt left-handed reliever Dan Jennings, the Marlins were still confident in their lefty depth. Mike Dunn is expected to make the roster as a late inning option, with Brad Hand and Rule 5 draft pick Andrew McKirahan also in the mix for roster spots. The Marlins do not have a specific number of left-handed relievers they would like to carry throughout 2015.

Although he did not have a notable amount of major league experience, Joseph's success against left-handed hitters in his career likely made him attractive to the Marlins. Prior to the trade, Joseph did not yield a hit to a left-handed hitter in three major league innings over the previous two seasons. Miami designated Brent Keys for assignment in order to make room for him on the roster last summer.