March 15, 2010 at 6:59 PM
Dodgers return Zerpa to Sox
According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, the Los Angeles Dodgers returned Rule 5 pick Armando Zerpa to Boston this morning as part of its first round of cuts. Zerpa, 23, was selected by Tampa Bay with the thirteenth pick of the 2009 Rule 5 Draft and subsequently traded to Los Angeles for cash. The lefthanded reliever pitched in two games for the Dodgers this spring, striking out one and allowing a hit and a walk in 1.1 innings of work. In 2009, Zerpa went 2-3 with a 2.65 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, 78 strikeouts ans 35 walks in 74.2 innings between High-A Salem and Low-A Greenville. He's likely slated to head back to Salem in 2010, his seventh season in the Red Sox organization, but could make a push for Double-A Portland by season's end. Zerpa was originally signed by Boston as an international free agent in March 2004 by scout Pedro Chavez.