Rockies add RHP Neal on Minors deal

DENVER – The Rockies agreed to a Minor League contract with right-handed pitcher Zach Neal on Thursday. The 33-year-old spent the past three seasons with the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball organization.

Neal was a 17th-round pick of the Marlins in the 2010 Draft out of the University of Oklahoma. In 2013, after being released by Miami, he signed with the A’s, for whom he made his MLB debut in ’16, posting a 4.24 ERA in 24 appearances (six starts). He spent most of the ’17 campaign at Triple-A, where he posted a 4.82 ERA over 99 innings. In 14 2/3 innings for the A’s that year, he gave up 13 runs (7.98 ERA).

Neal signed with the Dodgers as a free agent prior to the 2018 season but only appeared in one game for Los Angeles before being traded to the Reds on April 17. He was traded back to the Dodgers on July 4. In 32 starts at Triple-A that year between the Dodgers and Reds organizations, he had a 4.63 ERA over 101 innings.

In three seasons with Seibu from 2019-21, Neal posted a 4.49 ERA over 272 1/3 innings.