Right-hander Reiss Knehr and the Padres have reunited on a minor league deal, as first reported by Mad Friars. It’s unclear if the ACES client will be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee or if he’ll head to minor league camp.
Knehr, 28, missed the 2024 season. He underwent Tommy John surgery in the previous summer. The Padres outrighted him off their 40-man roster at the end of the 2023 season. He spent the entire 2024 campaign on the injured list for Triple-A El Paso, then became a free agent at season’s end.
Prior to that lengthy layoff, he was a depth arm for the Friars. He spent the 2021 through 2023 seasons getting frequently optioned to El Paso and back. Over those three years, he tossed 48 1/3 innings in the majors, allowing 5.96 earned runs per nine. His 15.5% strikeout rate and 13.2% walk rate were both subpar figures. That was mostly relief work, with a few “starts” lasting a few innings, topping out at four frames.
As one would expect, his minor league work was more interesting. In 2021, he tossed 75 2/3 innings on the farm over 16 starts and three relief appearances. He had a 3.57 ERA, 21.5% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate. In 2022, he posted a dismal 6.88 ERA in a swing role at the Triple-A level, but got back on track the following year. In 2023, he tossed 36 2/3 innings for El Paso, almost exclusively in relief. His only start lasted just three innings. He had a 3.93 ERA for the Chihuahuas, pairing a 27.3% strikeout rate with a 7.3% walk rate.
With those intriguing Triple-A numbers in 2023 and a lost season in 2024, perhaps the Friars will keep him in a relief role from now on. If he shows some health and effectiveness, he will provide the club with a bit of extra non-roster depth. If his contract is selected, he is now out of options but he has barely a year of service time.
Another big move for the padres. What a winter it’s been
Roster packed with retreads the AJ Preller secret sauce that = little postseason success
“OH BROTHER THIS GUY STINKS”
Think knehr would benefit from over seas years. Refine his craft for the next 3-5 years
If he was a cowboy from Tampa you could call him a bucking Knehr. Welcome back to the Org, Reiss!
He is already in camp. Been there for several days.
He’s in Peoria, but he is *NOT* in big league camp.
Both are in the Peoria complex and sometimes interdigitated. I’m not sure it matters much to me either way, he’s a long way from getting back to MLB
Not much difference in the two, they are both at the Peoria complex. Only real difference is what games they play in. Knehr is not a non-roster invitee to camp meaning he knows that when camp breaks, he is headed to El Paso.
Knehr threw batting practice/simulated game to several big-league guys. He was sitting 94+ with the 4 seam and sinker and 88-89 with the cutter. His slider had the best depth I have ever seen from him. Also threw his changeup. a couple of times.