3:20pm: The Padres have now officially announced Cosgrove’s recall, optioning Weathers in a corresponding move.
2:09pm: The Padres are calling up left-handed reliever Tom Cosgrove, as reported by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (via Twitter). It’ll be the 26-year-old’s MLB debut whenever he gets into a game. Cosgrove was added to the Padres’ 40-man roster back in November to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, so they only need to make a corresponding 26-man roster move in order to accommodate his promotion to the Majors.
A 12th-round pick by the Padres back in 2017, Cosgrove has opened the 2023 season with 7 1/3 shutout frames in Triple-A, fanning seven of his 26 opponents (26.9%) but also walking four of them along the way (15.4%). Cosgrove was a starter early in his professional career but moved to the bullpen coming out of the canceled 2020 minor league season and has seen his numbers take off since the switch to short relief.
In 2021, the lefty notched a 2.36 ERA in 26 2/3 innings at the Double-A level, and he turned in a combined 3.72 ERA in 55 2/3 frames between Double-A and Triple-A last year. He’s walked 10.8% of his opponents between Double-A and Triple-A but also has an impressive 33.4% strikeout rate between those two levels.
The Padres already have four lefties in their bullpen, with each of Josh Hader, Tim Hill, Ray Kerr and Ryan Weathers giving manager Bob Melvin a southpaw option. San Diego relievers rank 22nd in the Majors with a 4.71 ERA, although that number is skewed a bit by a handful of poor outings from Luis Garcia, Reiss Knehr and Nabil Crismatt. Most of the individual relievers in San Diego’s relief corps have been solid.
The Padres just had an off-day Monday, but the bullpen covered a combined four innings yesterday and a combined 11 1/3 innings in the team’s past three games overall. Cosgrove hasn’t pitched since April 22, so he’ll give them a well-rested arm to slot into the mix. He’s in the first of three minor league option years, so he could be shuttled between El Paso and San Diego several times this year.
The Padres have like a GAZILLION superstars AND the lowest team batting average in MLB.
I am hoping they can figure it out. I think over the long run it will be alright, but not a pretty start.
I’d love to here a good, non-snarky explanation as to why that BA (and offense in general) is so damn low. Bad batch of Gatorade?
Batting average…
Think about where they’d be without Xander.
It’s a long season. They’ll work through it I thing part of it is that three week slog without a day off that they just finished.
Soto has been completely lost at the plate in his last 100 or so games.
Soto hasn’t been his usual awesome self, but he’s still been above average at the plate.
His OPS+ this year sits at 104. For him that’s lost
SOTO needs to try to HIT. Not try to WALK. GET AGGRESSIVE!! COSGROVE needs a Chance. Is Snell the next to go on IL?
Taking the light away from Soto, let’s give it up to a struggling minor leaguer ready for his debut.
Love this, go get’em Cosgrove
He is trying to hit. In fact, he’s hitting the ball really hard – 92mph average EV, 15% barrel and 55.9% hard hit – all 3 stats above his career averages, and that hard hit % would be a career high.
Problem is, he’s lacing it to fielders, not gaps.
Soto will be fine.
I think it is hitting philosophy, Soto thinks he can get the job done even when he had 2 strikes.if you watch his Strike Outs he is Taking the Close Strikes.
CRASH said the Game is Simple, See the Ball HIT THE BALL.
Looked it up, he has a .218 BAbip. Combine that with the EV, barrel rate, and hard hit percentage stats you mentioned and I agree that he is just unlucky and he will be just fine.
Unlucky?…Give me a break…He watches 2-0 fastballs RIGHT DOWN the middle, as though the goal in baseball is to WALK.
When will Soto be fine? He’s deep in a slump and striking out at a rate so far this year that will put him at 180 Ks for the season, and his BA fell below .180 tonight
Last time I checked, a walk is as good as a base hir. Hitters wait for something they can drive, take the pitches they don’t like or foul them off, and eventually get a free pass if they don’t strike out.
Good for him, can’t wait to see him make his debut.
Juan should have taken the 400 Mil while the limited baseball knowledge, analytics geeks had people convinced he was a “transcendent” all around player.
He’s 24. Chill my dude.
“Transcendent” will get you on an Bud Lite can.
Gottem
Something something doggy door.
I watched his sister on tv when I was a kid
Is it a recall if he’s making his debut? Genuine question.
Yes because he is on the 40-man. 40-man players are automatically invited to Major League camp and are “optioned” when they are sent down.
Nice to see Cosgrove get a shot. He is a journeyman minor leaguer that took a long time to figure it out. I hope he pitches well enough that he can stick in San Diego for the rest of the season. That would be a great “feel good” story. He has not given up a hit in 7 appearances for the Chihuahuas this season, so maybe he will. Effectively wild?
Interesting to hear that the Padres sent Weathers down because they want him to continue to build up as a starter, instead of keeping him in the pen as a long man. Martinez is in the pen and will be doing what he excelled at last season.
Pomeranz has 3 rehab appearances so far, so he could be back in a week which would shore up the bullpen. Garcia has struggled badly, so if Cosgrove pitches well he won’t necessarily be the man to be sent down. Although I don’t know if Garcia has any options so he may have to be DFA’d to send him down.
No Options on Garcia… but I doubt he’d be DFA’d over just using Cosgrove’s first Option year flexibility. Ya never know though! It would be a nice “difficult decision” if Cosgrove pitches to that otherworldly expectation. Garcia is still projected to have a good year, he just needs to start stranding runners for a general confidence boost. Imo o/c
Padres getting cuffed around by the moribund SF Giants.
Thoughts?
Wait! Hold the phone! Soto just went solo! Baboom!
Hold the phone AGAIN! Now, the X-man! Wow! Someone should name a comic book hero after him!
FerNANdo!
No more ringworm around the collar!
And now Manny Macho Machado! The new 1927 Yankees repping the Padres in MeHIco City!