To make room on the roster for Eric Hinske, the Bucs have designated T.J. Beam for assignment. When Beam arrived after the 2007 season, I thought he might end up being a good reliever--he'd always posted very good numbers in the minors, but didn't get a lot of opportunities in the majors because the Yankees don't have much patience for youngsters who don't dominate right away. Beam was again pretty good in the minors in 2008, but he struggled in the majors. Well, maybe "struggled" isn't the right word--his pitching actually didn't lead directly to a bunch of runs on the board, as he posted a 4.14 ERA and a 4.18 Fair RA--but he had 24 strikeouts and 20 walks, which indicated that he wasn't really very effective. I'm not sure whether Beam will get through waivers or not.
By the way, I have no idea why the Bucs picked Beam instead of, say, Dave Davidson, or Romulo Sanchez, or Luis Cruz. It's not a big deal, but it's strange.