Orioles acquire Fujinami from Athletics

The Baltimore Orioles made their first move of deadline season, acquiring rookie right-hander Shintaro Fujinami from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for minor-league pitcher Easton Lucas, the teams announced Wednesday.

Though he has experience starting, the Orioles will be using Fujinami in a relief role, where he's excelled this year, according to MASN's Roch Kubatko.

Fujinami's inflated 8.57 ERA and 1.66 WHIP are largely the result of an ill-fated rotation stint in which he allowed 24 earned runs over four April starts. The 29-year-old has turned his season around since then, though, establishing himself as an important piece of Oakland's bullpen.

In 17 outings since June 1, the Japanese hurler posted a 3.26 ERA and 3.66 FIP with 20 strikeouts and six walks. He's allowed just two homers and held opponents to a .699 OPS over that span. Fujinami's velocity, especially on his fastball and splitter, has also spiked considerably as the season has progressed.

He'll now bolster an already stellar relief corps that anchors the AL East-leading Orioles' pitching staff. Fujinami can serve as an effective middle-inning bridge ahead of breakout star Yennier Cano and All-Star closer Felix Bautista.

Fujinami jumped to the majors on a one-year, $3.25-million contract with Oakland this past offseason. Prior to that, he spent 10 years with the Hanshin Tigers of Japan's Pacific League, where he worked primarily as a starter.

Lucas, who heads to the A's, owns a 2.73 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with a 11.2 K/9 rate across 20 combined outings between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk this season. Baltimore promoted the 26-year-old left-hander to Triple-A in June.

To make room for Fujinami on the 40-man roster, Baltimore designated corner infielder Josh Lester for assignment.