John Maine has left the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate and is considering retirement, reports Jack Etkin of InsideTheRockies.com. Maine was hit hard on Monday, his latest poor start in a tough season that has seen the right-hander post a 7.43 ERA and a 2.06 WHIP in 11 starts for Colorado Springs. Maine "felt he needed to get away from the game" for a while given his struggles but he still wants to pitch.
Maine, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Rockies in February after being non-tendered by the Mets last fall. He has a career 4.35 ERA and 1.86 K/BB ratio in 108 games (105 of them starts) with the Mets and Orioles over seven Major League seasons. Maine has battled shoulder and rotator cuff problems for the last three years and these arm issues may have persisted in part due to Maine's penchant for trying to tough out his injuries, as detailed in this piece by Fangraphs' Alex Remington.
