Josh James signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League, according to the league’s transaction log. The right-hander became a free agent when he was released from a minor league deal with the Cardinals last week.
James, 31, spent his limited time in the St. Louis organization at Triple-A Memphis. He walked 15 of the 51 hitters he faced. Putting on free baserunners at that rate isn’t tenable, and James was rocked for 18 runs in 7 2/3 innings. He’ll need to demonstrate he can find the strike zone with the Ducks to pitch his way back to affiliated ball.
A former 34th-round pick by the Astros, James had a promising first two seasons in Houston. He worked 23 innings of 2.35 ERA ball as a rookie back in 2018. While his 4.70 mark across 61 1/3 frames the following year wasn’t as impressive, James punched out almost 38% of his opponents. He looked like a potential high-octane relief arm before his control evaporated. He walked more than one-fifth of hitters during the shortened season and has barely pitched in the majors since then.
Various injuries cost James most of the 2021-23 campaigns. He battled hip, hamstring and lat problems before undergoing flexor surgery at the tail end of the ’22 season. Houston non-tendered him that winter. James sat out all of last season before beginning his short-lived stint with the Cardinals this past January.
Who? Why? Okay, got it.
http://www.RIF.org
Dang that link is not what I thought it would be.
The Astros were very high on Josh James when he first came up.
I’m waiting for Bentances to take that leap of faith and join the Ducks. I’m sure Mo can still get people out too. Can you imagine MO coming back to NY. Honestly MO now is still better than Holmes. Yankees need a closer if they want to try and get closer to a World Series. Who’s available let’s start the rumors now!!!