Dinos sign ex-MLB pitcher Clevinger as temporary injury replacement
San Diego Padres starting pitcher Mike Clevinger throws during the first inning in Game 4 of the baseball NL Championship Series between the San Diego Padres and the Philadelphia Phillies in Philadelphia, Oct. 22, 2022. AP-Yonhap
The NC Dinos announced Saturday they have acquired former major league pitcher Mike Clevinger as a short-term injury replacement.
Clevinger, 35, will make $75,000 as a six-week fill-in for starter Curtis Taylor, who was sidelined this week with a right shoulder injury.
Clevinger has 164 big league games under his belt. He pitched for three clubs from 2016 to 2025 and enjoyed his best years with Cleveland from 2017 to 2019.
Clevinger went 12-6 with a 3.11 ERA in 2017. Then in 2018, he won a career-high 13 games and had a 3.02 ERA, along with 207 strikeouts in 200 innings across 32 starts. He was limited to 21 starts in 2019 but matched his win total from the previous year while posting a 2.71 ERA over 126 innings, along with 169 strikeouts.
The American right-hander has been in the minor leagues for the Pittsburgh Pirates this year, posting a 4.15 ERA in 22 outings across three levels. He was released by the Pirates in August.
The Dinos said Clevinger will arrive in South Korea on Sunday and join his new Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club Tuesday.
The Dinos, riding a three-game winning streak, are making a late push for a postseason spot. Through Friday's games, they ranked sixth with a 58-60-2 (wins-losses-ties) record, three games behind the Doosan Bears for the final postseason spot. The Dinos have 24 games remaining and have six games in hand on the Bears.