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Austin Pruitt

Latest On Astros’ Pitching Staff

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It’s already known the Astros will enter the 2020 campaign missing veteran reliever Joe Smith, who’s on the restricted list. It now appears they’ll begin without a few other notable bullpen pieces, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com writes. Closer Roberto Osuna and fellow right-handers Brad Peacock and Austin Pruitt are unlikely to be available when the team’s season opens Friday.

Osuna, the most important member of the group, reported to camp late and hasn’t thrown off a mound yet. However, manager Dusty Baker said Osuna’s “not hurt,” adding that the club’s hopeful he’ll “be ready sooner than later.” Even he does miss only a small amount of time, Osuna’s void will be rather difficult to fill. The 25-year-old turned in another effective season in 2019, throwing 65 innings of 2.63 ERA ball and racking up 38 saves in 44 tries. Righty Ryan Pressly seems like the most logical candidate to take over as Houston’s go-to game-ending choice, though he also hasn’t been at full strength of late because of a finger blister.

As is the case with Osuna, it’s unclear how long Peacock and Pruitt will stay on the shelf. Peacock’s down with shoulder inflammation, which he also dealt with last year during a season in which he racked up 91 2/3 innings of 4.12 ERA pitching over 23 appearances (15 starts). Pruitt, meanwhile, has a bone bruise in his right elbow, but he did express optimism last week (via Adam Coleman of the Houston Chronicle) that he’ll be ready sometime soon. The first time he takes the mound this year will be his Astros debut, as the team acquired the 30-year-old from the Rays over the winter. In his final season as a Ray, Pruitt logged a 4.40 ERA in 47 innings.

Peacock and Pruitt could be candidates to make starts this year if they do return to health. For now, though, the Astros’ rotation – which lost Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley in free agency – will consist of Lance McCullers and Josh James behind aces Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke. The Astros haven’t decided on a fifth starter, but McTaggart pegs lefty Framber Valdez as the favorite.

James and Valdez have only made 17 starts between them since they came into the league in 2018, but they did combine for 132 innings a year ago. While the hard-throwing James posted a whopping 14.67 K/9 in 61 1/3 frames, an ugly 5.14 BB/9 helped lead to an unspectacular 4.70 ERA. Valdez also had trouble with control and run prevention, as his 5.6 BB/9 and 5.86 ERA in 70 2/3 frames indicate, though he did record a stellar 62.1 percent groundball rate.

Latest On Astros’ Rotation

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For obvious reasons, the Astros have made plenty of negative headlines in recent weeks. The start of the regular season continues to close in, though, so despite all the outside noise, the Astros will have to turn the page and focus on defending their American League pennant from a year ago.

When they do take the field the season, the Astros’ rotation figures to look quite a bit different than the all-world unit they relied on in 2019. Gone from that group are AL Cy Young runner-up Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley, a duo that combined for almost 380 innings of excellent pitching. Now, the Astros still have a great front-of-the-rotation tandem in Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke, and they’re slated to get Lance McCullers Jr. back after he missed all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Beyond, Verlander, Greinke and McCullers, the rest of the Astros’ rotation picture is less clear. However, pitching coach Brent Strom shed some light on it in a discussion with Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Strom suggested that Jose Urquidy is in line for the No. 4 spot. He also revealed that the Astros don’t expect to count on righty Brad Peacock as a starter. The veteran swingman made 15 starts in 23 appearances last year, but the neck issues that slowed him in 2019 have continued. Houston now expects him to factor into its bullpen instead of its rotation.

Regarding Peacock and the Astros’ starting staff, Strom told McTaggart, “I think you can probably count [Brad] Peacock out of the race.” Strom added that Peacock’s “probably more valuable to us in the bullpen,” leaving (in his view) Austin Pruitt, Josh James and Framber Valdez to compete for the No. 5 position. Although towering righty Forrest Whitley has been one of the Astros’ top prospects for at least a couple years, he’s probably not “a viable candidate” to land a job in their season-opening rotation, according to Strom.

Among the actual competitors for the Astros’ No. 5 position, only Pruitt’s new to the team. He joined the Astros in a trade with the Rays last month. The 30-year-old’s known for his high spin rate, but it hasn’t translated to much major league success thus far. Since debuting in 2017, Pruitt has posted 199 2/3 innings of 4.87 ERA ball (with a far superior 4.17 FIP and a solid 48.9 percent groundball rate) and recorded 6.63 K/9 against 2.25 BB/9. He’s out of minor league options, so he’ll have to earn a place on Houston’s 26-man roster or potentially be lost on waivers.

James, a fellow righty, and the left-handed Valdez still have options remaining. The hard-throwing James made an encouraging – albeit brief – debut in 2018, though he had difficulty with control in a relief role last season. The 26-year-old ended up tossing 61 1/3 frames and notching a 4.70 ERA/3.98 FIP with 5.14 walks per nine. On a better note, he did log a tremendous 14.67 K/9 while averaging 97.2 mph on his fastball.

Valdez, also 26, joined James in amassing lots of innings but struggling to throw strikes last season. He walked 5.6 hitters per nine, helping lead to a 5.86 ERA/4.98 FIP in 70 2/3 innings between the Astros’ rotation and bullpen. Valdez’s strikeout rate (8.66 K/9) was a lot worse than James’, but he did induce grounders at an outstanding 62.1 percent clip.

Just-hired manager Dusty Baker will clearly have to make some key decisions in forming a new-look rotation before the season commences. Verlander, Greinke and McCullers are locks, but the Astros don’t have any proven commodities after that trio.

Astros Rotation Status

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The Astros have lots on their plate after a difficult couple of weeks in the public eye, but they have on-field issues at hand as well. Now that the manager and GM are in place, the focus can soon return to the field. Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke make for an enviable top of the rotation, but there’s uncertainty beyond their veteran aces, writes MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart.

Lance McCullers Jr. will return from elbow surgery to man the third spot in the rotation, and after his strong performance in the postseason, Jose Urquidy has a good chance of claiming one of the two remaining slots. But with a new GM and manager stepping in, there’s a potential clean slate working against the otherwise favored.

A host of candidates are on hand to push Urquidy and contend for the final rotation role. Brad Peacock and Austin Pruitt are the veterans with rotation experience on hand, with either one capable of taking turns in the rotation.

Beyond the vets, there are a host of young arms capable of proving their readiness and stepping into the rotation. Josh James, Bryan Abreu, Framber Valdez, Forrest Whitley, Austin Pruitt, Cy Sneed and Francis Martes. There’s more at stake in this arms race, as there are three to four bullpen spots available for those left out of the dugout.

Astros Acquire Austin Pruitt

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The Astros have acquired right-hander Austin Pruitt from the Rays in exchange for outfielder Cal Stevenson and righty Peyton Battenfield, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Robert Murray first reported Stevenson was headed to the Rays. This is the second trade of Thursday night for the Rays, who previously swung a major deal with the Cardinals.

As the only player with major league experience in this trade, Pruitt’s the headliner. He’s also a Texas native, making this deal a homecoming of sorts. The 30-year-old saw action with the Rays in each season from 2017-19, though preventing runs was difficult for him. Pruitt posted a 4.87 ERA (with a much better 4.17 FIP) and recorded 6.63 K/9, 2.25 BB/9 and a 48.9 percent groundball rate over 199 2/3 innings. However, he ranked near the top of the majors in spin rate last year, and that’s something the Astros are known to greatly value.

Most of Pruitt’s major league work has come as a reliever so far, but the ninth-round pick from 2013 was once a full-time starter in the minors. And Pruitt could return to a rotation in the majors this year, as Astros president of baseball operations/general manager Jeff Luhnow told reporters (including McTaggart) that they intend “to give him a chance” to earn a rotation spot entering 2020. Unlike in the previous couple seasons, the Astros’ rotation has some question marks. Sure, Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke are great, but Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley are gone, and Lance McCullers Jr. is returning from Tommy John surgery. Brad Peacock and the relatively unproven Jose Urquidy could be the front-runners for the four and five positions in Houston’s starting staff.

The 23-year-old Stevenson didn’t last long with the Astros, who acquired him from the Blue Jays last July in a trade centering on right-hander Aaron Sanchez. Stevenson had a productive year at the High-A level between the two teams, as he slashed .288/.388/.384 with five home runs across 490 plate appearances.

A 10th-round pick of the Jays in 2018, FanGraphs’ Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen ranked Stevenson as the Astros’ 39th-best prospect earlier this week, citing his “great contact and on base skills.” Stevenson has a chance to amount to a fourth outfielder, according to McDaniel and Longenhagen.

Battenfield, 22, was a ninth-round draft selection last summer. He amassed 39 1/3 innings with the Astros’ low-A affiliate in 2019 and fared quite well, putting up a 1.60 ERA/2.21 FIP with 10.53 K/9 against 3.43 BB/9.

Rays Place Yonny Chirinos On 10-Day IL

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The Rays announced today that righty Yonny Chirinos is headed to the 10-day injured list with an inflamed middle finger in his pitching hand (via MLB.com’s Juan Toribio, on Twitter). Fellow right-hander Austin Pruitt is coming up to take the open roster spot.

Details of the injury aren’t fully clear, but it seems the Tampa Bay org is anticipating a reasonably lengthy absence. Chirinos will be shut down for at least two weeks’ time, with skipper Kevin Cash announcing that Chirinos is expected to be sidelined for more than a month, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (Twitter links).

After a strong debut showing in 2018, the 25-year-old Chirinos has thrown 126 2/3 innings of 3.62 ERA ball this year. He’s average 7.8 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 with a 43.8% groundball rate. Those peripherals don’t exactly leap off the page, and Statcast numbers indicate the results may be on the fortunate side (.286 wOBA-against vs. .318 xwOBA-against). Still, Chirinos has impressed.

Chirinos has been an increasingly important part of a Rays staff that has lost two key starters to injury. There’s still no update on Tyler Glasnow; last we heard, there was increasing concern he might not make it back this year. As for Blake Snell, he told reporters (including Topkin) that his bone-chip removal procedure went well. His precise timeline won’t begin to gain clarity until the inflammation in his elbow subsides.

Rays Select Mike Brosseau

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The Rays have selected INF Mike Brosseau from Triple-A Durham among a flurry of roster moves, the team announced. INF/OF Daniel Robertson was placed on the 10-Day IL with a left knee sprain, and durable reliever Austin Pruitt was sent down to make room for lefty Adam Kolarek. Catcher Anthony Bemboom was transferred to the 60-day IL to make room for Brosseau.

Though the 25-year-old Brosseau didn’t crack the club’s top 54 prospects per FanGraphs, the 5’10 righty has done little but mash in his four years on the Rays farm thus far. In 283 plate appearances for Durham this season, Brosseau’d slashed .313/.406/.579 with an outstanding 11.7% BB/17.7%K plate-discipline profile.

He’ll look to work his way into the weak-side infield platoon mix for Tampa, as each of Brandon Lowe, Joey Wendle, Willy Adames, Christian Arroyo and Ji-Man Choi have been manhandled by lefties so far this season.

Rays Notes: Wood, Pruitt, Bemboom

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The Tampa Bay Rays activated righty Hunter Wood from the injured list, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). In a corresponding move, Austin Pruitt was optioned back to Triple-A Durham.

Wood gives the Rays another long option to soak up the innings left behind in the wake of Tyler Glasnow’s injury. Before hitting the injured list with shoulder soreness, Wood had yet to surrender a run in 6 1/3 innings, including a two-inning “start” as an opener. He threw three innings in his first appearance of the season, earning the save in a 5-1 win against the White Sox. Wood’s fastball clocked in at 94.3 mph in 41 innings last season, and the Rays hope to see some of that velocity return after averaging only 92.3 mph over his first four appearances, effective as he was over that span. Wood joins Yonny Chirinos, Jalen Beeks, Casey Sadler, and Ryne Stanek in the long man/opener mix for Tampa.

Pruitt had a rough go of it in a short stint with the big league club this year: 6 earned runs in only 7 1/3 innings with 8 hits and 2 home runs to only 4 strikeouts. Results haven’t been a whole lot better for the 29-year-old in in Triple-A this season either, where he sports a 6.23 ERA in seven appearances. Like Wood, Pruitt has the ability to throw multiple innings in a single go, and his FIP and xFIP numbers have been good the last two seasons, but the results have yet to show in the more public-facing ERA column. Wood provides more upside at this stage, but Pruitt is sure to return to Tampa at some point this season if he can stay healthy.

Meanwhile, the Rays had yet another catcher hit the deck. Rookie Anthony Bemboom will avoid surgery, but not the injured list, per Topkin (via Twitter). Manager Kevin Cash suggests Bemboom will miss 4-6 weeks with a sprained ligament after only 5 plate appearances with Tampa. In his stead, Erik Kratz will become Blake Snell’s fourth different receiver in his last five starts, along with Bemboom, Mike Zunino, and Michael Perez, who is the closest of the three to returning from his oblique injury. Still, it’ll be Kratz and Travis d’Arnaud behind the dish for the next couple of weeks at the least.

Rays Recall Austin Meadows

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The Rays have recalled young outfielder Austin Meadows to the MLB roster, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported. Also joining the club are righties Austin Pruitt and Chih-Wei Hu as well as southpaw Hoby Milner.

Among these new additions to the active roster, the 23-year-old Meadows is the most interesting. That’s due not only to his top-prospect status and his recent acquisition — in a swap that also brought Tyler Glasnow and Shane Baz to Tampa Bay in exchange for Chris Archer — but also his strong offensive output this season.

Before the swap, of course, Meadows had impressed in a 165-plate appearance debut in the majors. Though his success was predicated in no small part upon a .345 BABIP, it was hard not to like the .292/.327/.468 line (with five homers and four steals) he produced against major-league pitching.

At the same time, though, Meadows had continued his less-than-stirring work at the highest level of the minors, so it was fair to wonder whether that was simply a mirage. The longtime top-100 prospect had hovered in the .700 OPS range in three attempts at Triple-A Indianapolis.

Since arriving in the Rays organization, however, Meadows has thrived. It’s only a 26-game sample, but he laid waste to the International League pitching over 106 plate appearances, slashing .344/.396/.771 with ten home runs.

Whether or not that showing ought to elevate expectations for Meadows is perhaps debatable, but it certainly increase the excitement of his promotion. Of course, he’s not likely to receive a long look just yet. But with Carlos Gomez set to hit the open market at season’s end, it’s possible that Meadows could be in the mix to crack the roster as part of the corner outfield rotation in 2019.

As ever, service-time considerations must be noted as well. Meadows was on the Pittsburgh active roster for 59 days already and will now add another dozen to his tally. That means he could well top a full year of MLB service next season even if he’s held down to open the year.

 

Rays Select Ryan Weber

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The Rays have selected the contract of righty Ryan Weber, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (Twitter links). Tampa Bay moved fellow righty Wilmer Font to the 60-day DL to create 40-man space.

In other moves, reliever Andrew Kittredge is also coming up to the active roster. To create the two needed openings there, the Rays have placed lefty Vidal Nuno on the 10-day DL and optioned righty Austin Pruitt.

Weber, 27, was up earlier in the year but only made one appearance before being outrighted. He has been successful at Triple-A, turning in 68 2/3 innings of 2.23 ERA ball. Though his combination of 5.8 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 aren’t terribly exciting, Weber has carried a 51.8% groundball rate and functioned in a multi-inning capacity — a consideration of particular importance given the Rays’ unusual staff usage.

Rays Place Jake Odorizzi On 10-Day DL

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The Rays have placed righty Jake Odorizzi on the 10-day DL, per Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). A lower-back issue is the cause for the placement.

Odorizzi says he has dealt with lower back troubles since the spring, as Mooney further reports (Twitter links). The hope is he’ll only miss a pair of outings. While the move would likely remove him from trade consideration, and he has previously been tabbed a trade candidate, that seemed unlikely anyway with the Rays firmly in contention.

Hopefully, the respite will give Odorizzi a chance to get his season back on track. While his 4.47 ERA is hardly disastrous, it’s also not what we’ve come to expect from the 27-year-old righty. While he’s maintaining a fairly typical blend of 7.8 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9, Odorizzi has surrendered 23 long balls in just 94 2/3 innings on the year.

That said, the injury — along with Odorizzi’s struggles — does serve to highlight the ever-present need to maintain adequate pitching depth. Tampa Bay has that in spades, so much so that it has long been speculated the organization would consider dealing from a surplus. But with Matt Andriese already out and Odorizzi now ailing, perhaps it’s less likely than ever that pending free agent Alex Cobb will be on the move.

On the other hand, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes, the Rays’ front office is still looking closely at the club’s postseason odds as it charts a course forward. Even with less than a week to go before the deadline, it seems, movement in the standings will impact the extent to which the team looks to add — or even push it toward considering a deal for Cobb.

The Rays are seemingly focused at this point on adding relief pitching as the deadline draws near. Perhaps hanging onto Cobb and the rest of the starting options will also help deepen the pen, though all indications are the Rays will look to make at least one outside addition.

To fill the roster spot created by Odorizzi’s injury, the club has recalled righty Andrew Kittredge, who has put up some intriguing numbers this year at Triple-A (in addition to making his first three MLB appearances). To fill the rotation spot, though, it seems the club could turn to Austin Pruitt; Mooney notes (via Twitter) that Pruitt was scratched from his scheduled outing last night.

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