Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed pitcher Connor Brogdon elected minor league free agency after being unclaimed on waivers. Brogdon’s decision opens up a spot on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 protection deadline next week.

After Brogdon, 29, wasn’t picked up on waivers, he was assigned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. The right-hander then chose to become a free agent. Heading to the market, Brogdon has a 3.97 ERA in 145 major league innings.

Brogdon appeared in just one game for the Dodgers this season where he allowed a pair of runs in one inning against the Minnesota Twins. The Dodgers acquired the right-hander from the Philadelphia Phillies in an April swap after Brogdon was designated for assignment.

The Dodgers sent minor league left-hander Benony Robles to Philadelphia, while Brogdon came to Los Angeles. Only days after his major league debut in a Dodgers uniform, Brogdon was placed on the 15-day injured list due to plantar fasciitis.

The plantar fasciitis was severe enough to keep Brogdon from returning to the active roster. Brogdon originally went on a rehab assignment a few weeks after going on the injured list, but the Dodgers ended up transferring him to the 60-day injured list.

In August, Brogdon began another rehab assignment but wasn’t able to return before the season concluded. Before coming to the Dodgers, Brogdon was poised to be a high-profile reliever. The former tenth-round pick reached the majors in just three years.

From 2020-22, Brogdon posted a combined 3.42 ERA in 113 innings. The right-hander averaged 95.8 mph on his heater and was sharp at the start of his MLB career. In 2023, all of Brogdon’s statistics dramatically fell.