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Kyle McGowin

Cubs Release Dan Straily, Kyle McGowin

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The Cubs released right-handers Dan Straily and Kyle McGowin from their minor league contracts with the team, as per the official transactions page for the Triple-A Iowa affiliate.  Straily signed with Chicago in April and McGowin signed in May, with both pitchers returning to the affiliated minors after initially signing deals with the independent Atlantic League for the 2024 season.

Straily posted a 4.56 ERA across 803 1/3 innings with six different Major League teams from 2012-19, primarily pitching for the A’s, Marlins, and Reds.  He followed up that MLB tenure with a four-season stint in Busan with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization, through Straily also briefly pitched in the Diamondbacks’ farm system in 2022.  Straily had a 3.29 ERA over 503 innings with the Giants, though that overall successful number masks some inconsistency, primarily in a 2023 season that saw the righty deliver only a 4.37 ERA in 80 1/3 frames before being released last July.

The results also haven’t been there for Straily in his age-35 season, as he has a 5.49 ERA, 21.4% strikeout rate, and 10.8% walk rate over 78 2/3 innings for Iowa.  A lot of the damage has been caused by the home run ball, as Straily has given up 18 round-trippers during the limited sample size of his time with the Cubs’ top affiliate.  Keeping the ball in the park was often a struggle for Straily during his days in the big leagues — he allowed a National League-high 31 homers in 2016 when a member of the Reds rotation, and he gave up an incredible 22 home runs in only 47 2/3 innings while pitching for the Orioles in 2019.

McGowin has also had a tough time in Iowa this season, posting a 6.13 ERA in 10 starts and 47 Triple-A innings.  The righty showed much better form in Double-A (2.22 ERA in 28 1/3 IP) and in his brief time with the Atlantic League’s Charleston Dirty Birds (2.70 ERA in 10 innings), but McGowin’s lack of success in Iowa led the Cubs to part ways with the 32-year-old.

McGowin’s big league resume consists of a 5.98 ERA over 64 2/3 innings, all with the Nationals in parts of every season from 2018-21.  His 4.20 ERA over 30 innings in 2021 marked both his best ERA and his highest innings total over a single MLB season, though the Nats outrighted him off their 40-man roster at season’s end and McGowin hasn’t since gotten another look in the Show.  The righty didn’t pitch at all in 2022 while recovering from a UCL injury but resurfaced in 2023 to pitch in independent ball, the Chinese Professional Baseball League, and 62 1/3 innings with the Astros’ Triple-A club.

Cubs, Kyle McGowin Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Cubs have purchased the contract of right-hander Kyle McGowin from the Atlantic League’s Charleston Dirty Birds, the independent team announced (on X). According to the transaction log at MLB.com, he’s headed to Double-A Tennessee.

McGowin suited up at the MLB level for the Nationals each season between 2018-21. He made a career-high 27 appearances in 2021, pitching to a 4.20 ERA through 30 innings. Washington outrighted him off the 40-man roster at the end of that season. McGowin hasn’t pitched in the majors since then. He spent part of last season in Triple-A with the Astros, struggling to a 7.36 ERA over 62 1/3 frames in the Pacific Coast League.

The 32-year-old made a pair of impressive starts in the Atlantic League. He fanned 11 against one walk over 10 innings of four-run ball. McGowin pitched almost exclusively in relief during his MLB time with the Nats, but he has spent most of his minor league career as a starter. He owns a 5.08 ERA in parts of six Triple-A campaigns and has a managed a 4.34 mark through six years at the Double-A level.

Nationals Claim Francisco Perez Off Waivers From Guardians

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The Nationals announced they successfully claimed left-handed pitcher Francisco Perez off waivers from the Guardians. The Nats also announced their decision to outright right-handed pitcher Kyle McGowin to Triple-A.

Cleveland selected Perez to make his big league debut in early August. He ultimately got into four games, tossing 6 2/3 frames of relief and allowing three runs. During his brief MLB time, Perez relied mostly on a fastball that averaged just under 93 MPH and a low-80s slider.

That’s not the most overpowering raw stuff, but the 24-year-old posted dominant numbers between the Guardians’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates this past season. Over 53 combined innings at the minors’ top two levels, he worked to a 1.87 ERA, punching out an incredible 38.1% of opposing hitters in the process. Perez also still has a pair of minor league option years remaining, so the Nats can shuttle him between the majors and minors for the next couple seasons if he sticks on their 40-man roster.

McGowin’s tenure with the Nats could come to a close after today’s outright. The 29-year-old has appeared in the bigs in each of the past four seasons, with his 30 frames of 4.20 ERA/3.87 SIERA ball in 2021 his most extensive action. McGowan will have the right to elect minor league free agency.

Nationals Select Josh Rogers

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The Nationals have selected the contract of lefty Josh Rogers, per the team. Rogers will be added to the active roster to be the 29th man for their doubleheader today. He’s likely to start one of the two games against the Mets today.

Rogers was released by the Orioles in June, signing on with the Nats just a couple of days later. Between the Triple-A affiliates of both clubs, Rogers has a 4.48 ERA across 90 1/3 innings. He last appeared in the Majors with the Orioles back in 2019. He currently owns an 8.65 ERA in 26 career innings between 2018 and 2019.

To make room on the 40-man roster, Kyle McGowin was transferred to the 60-day injured list. McGowin is awaiting a final diagnosis, but he is potentially facing Tommy John surgery. Regardless, he won’t make it back to the hill this season.

McGowin had transitioned to a full-time role in the bullpen this season after multiple years as a swingman for the Nats. The 29-year-old had perhaps his best season as a pro, tossing 30 innings across 27 appearances with a 4.20 ERA/4.59 ERA.

Injury Notes: Giolito, Longoria, Torres, Moreland, McGowin

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The White Sox placed Lucas Giolito on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to September 1, due to a left hamstring strain this afternoon. It seems the move is mostly precautionary, as manager Tony La Russa told reporters (including Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times) that Giolito is scheduled to throw a bullpen session next Wednesday. The White Sox can afford to be especially cautious with even minor injuries for their top players, as they’re coasting to a division title and hoping to get everybody right for the postseason. Giolito has a 3.69 ERA/3.68 SIERA over 158 1/3 innings this season.

Some more health situations around the league:

  • The Giants announced they’ve activated third baseman Evan Longoria from the 10-day injured list. The 35-year-old returns in time for perhaps the club’s biggest series of the year, as San Francisco is set to kick off a three-game set against the Dodgers, with whom they’re tied atop the NL West. Injuries have limited Longoria to 199 plate appearances this season, but he’s looked rejuvenated when healthy. Longoria owns a .289/.382/.526 line with ten home runs. Mauricio Dubón was optioned to clear active roster space.
  • The Yankees activated shortstop Gleyber Torres from the 10-day injured list before this evening’s game with the Orioles. The 24-year-old returns after a three-week absence due to a thumb sprain. Torres got off to a slow start but looked like he’d begun to turn a corner offensively before going down. He has a .253/.328/.351 mark across 407 plate appearances altogether. New York optioned outfielder Estevan Florial in a corresponding move.
  • Athletics designated hitter/first baseman Mitch Moreland landed on the 10-day injured list with left wrist tendinitis earlier this week. Manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle) that Moreland’s wrist will be in a splint “for at least a few weeks.” With a month remaining in the regular season, that would seemingly put Moreland’s season in jeopardy — at least barring an A’s postseason run. Moreland has struggled to a .227/.286/.415 line across 252 plate appearances this season, a disappointing follow-up to a strong 2020 campaign split between the Red Sox and Padres.
  • The Nationals placed reliever Kyle McGowin on the 10-day injured list this afternoon. The right-hander has a UCL sprain in his throwing elbow and will see a specialist to determine his course of treatment, relays Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. Any injury to a pitcher’s UCL raises the specter of a potential Tommy John surgery, although there’s no indication McGowin is facing any sort of procedure just yet. The 29-year-old has made 30 relief appearances for the Nats this season, working to a 4.20 ERA/3.85 SIERA.

Nationals Place Will Harris, Victor Robles On 10-Day Injured List

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11:37AM: In a change of course, the Nationals have now placed Robles on the 10-day IL (retroactive to May 20) due to the right ankle sprain.  No corresponding move has been announced with less than a half-hour before the Nats take the field against the Orioles, so the Nats will only have 25 active players today.

11:33AM: The Nationals placed right-hander Will Harris on the 10-day injured list today, as Harris is again bothered by right hand inflammation.  The same injury sent Harris to the IL earlier this season and kept him from making his season debut until May 4.  Righty Kyle McGowin has been called up from Triple-A to take Harris’ spot on the active roster.

Harris had a blood clot removed from his right arm back in March, and there was some thought that he might require thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, though that much more extensive procedure wasn’t necessary.  That said, Harris was still dealing with inflammation almost a month after the blood clot’s removal, and it seems as though it has been a persistent problem for the veteran reliever that finally required another IL visit.

Needless to say, Harris’ pitching has been impacted by his injury, as he has a 9.00 ERA over six innings this season.  Yesterday’s rough outing against the Orioles might have been the proverbial last straw, as Harris faced three Baltimore hitters and allowed two runs without recording an out in an eventual 12-9 Washington victory.

In other injury news for the District team, Victor Robles isn’t in today’s starting lineup, as the outfielder continues to nurse a sprained right ankle.  Robles hasn’t played since suffering the injury on Wednesday, and X-rays on Robles’ ankle were negative and an MRI revealed the sprain.

Manager Davey Martinez told MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman and other reporters that Robles did some hitting off a tee yesterday.  Since the Nationals don’t have a game on Monday, Martinez said the hope is that two more days off will allow Robles to be ready by Tuesday, so a trip to the injured list can be avoided.  Andrew Stevenson has been filling in as the Nats’ center fielder while Robles is sidelined, and Yadiel Hernandez is also on hand for further outfield depth.

Robles’ injury is particularly poorly timed, as he had a 1.206 OPS over his last 20 plate appearances and was showing signs of emerging from his season-long slump.  Even with that hot streak, Robles was hitting only .246/.348/.325 over 133 PA, but was still helping the Nationals with his customary strong defense up the middle.

Nationals Activate Stephen Strasburg From Injured List

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TODAY: Strasburg has officially been reinstated from the 10-day IL, the Nationals announced.  Right-hander Kyle McGowin was optioned to Triple-A to make roster space.

MAY 20: The Nationals are planning to reinstate Stephen Strasburg from the injured list to start tomorrow’s game against the Orioles, manager Dave Martinez told reporters (including Maria Torres of the Athletic). It’ll be Strasburg’s first appearance in just over a month, as he went on the IL April 18 with right shoulder inflammation.

Washington is surely thrilled to get Strasburg back to action. The star righty helped lead the Nats to a World Series title in 2019, and the organization retained him on a seven-year, $245MM contract that offseason. Unfortunately, Strasburg has thus far only managed four starts since then. A bout with carpal tunnel syndrome limited him to five innings last season, and this spring’s shoulder problem has kept him to ten frames in 2021.

The Nationals have struggled over the season’s first month-plus. Set back by an early COVID-19 outbreak, Washington climbed back to briefly take first place in the NL East. They’ve scuffled over the past few weeks, though, dropping to the bottom of the division at 17-23. The Nationals rotation has been a little below-average this season, sitting 18th in each of ERA (4.41), SIERA (4.19) and strikeout minus walk rate (14.7 percentage points). That’s a disappointment for a starting staff that was expected to be the backbone of the club.

With Strasburg out, the Nationals added Erick Fedde to the rotation. Fedde has pitched reasonably well, working to a 4.35 ERA/4.58 SIERA in eight starts. Strasburg’s return might eventually bump him to the bullpen, but Fedde will be out of action for the next few days after testing positive for COVID-19.

Nationals Place Erick Fedde, Tanner Rainey On Injured List

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MAY 20: Fedde tested positive for COVID-19, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post was among those to report. He had previously been vaccinated and is asymptomatic. Rainey, who has not been vaccinated, is isolating as a close contact.

MAY 19: The Nationals announced they’ve placed right-handers Erick Fedde and Tanner Rainey on the injured list. One of the two players has tested positive for COVID-19, while the other was deemed a close contact, tweets Maria Torres of the Athletic. To replace Fedde and Rainey on the active roster, Washington recalled righties Paolo Espino and Kyle McGowin from Triple-A Rochester.

Fedde has been a reliable member of the Nats rotation over the season’s first month-plus. He’s made eight starts and tossed 39 1/3 innings with a 4.35 ERA/4.58 SIERA. With Stephen Strasburg on a rehab assignment and nearing a return from the injured list, manager Dave Martinez recently suggested Fedde was a candidate for a short-term move to the bullpen (via Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post). For the time being, though, he’ll be out of action.

The Nationals will also be without one of their more frequently utilized relievers. The hard-throwing Rainey looked to have cemented himself as a key setup piece in Martinez’s bullpen last season, tossing 20 1/3 innings of 2.66 ERA ball with an elite 42.7% strikeout rate. It’s been a disastrous start in 2021 for Rainey, however. He missed time in Spring Training because of a muscle strain near his collarbone. That didn’t require a regular season IL stint, although it’s possible the delay affected his performance. Rainey has lost a tick on his average fastball and struggled over his first 16 appearances. The 28-year-old has seen his once-lofty strikeout rate plummet to 24.6%, while his walk percentage has spiked to an untenable 19.7%. Given those poor peripherals, it’s unsurprising Rainey has allowed eleven runs (ten earned) over his first 12 1/3 frames.

Espino, 34, has made eight appearances (including a spot start when Strasburg first went on the IL). He’s managed a 2.57 ERA/4.78 SIERA in 14 innings. McGowin has scuffled, allowing four runs in 7 1/3 frames with five walks and four strikeouts.

Nationals Reinstate Patrick Corbin, Option Kyle McGowin

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The Washington Nationals have reinstated Patrick Corbin from the COVID injured list, the team announced. He will make his debut start tonight against the Dodgers.

Kyle McGowin has been optioned and placed on Washington’s taxi squad, per Pete Kerzel of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). Adrian Sanchez has been returned to the team’s alternate site. Sanchez did not see any game action. McGowin, 29, had a pair of productive outings for the Nats. As one of their primary multi-inning arms with options remaining, McGowin is sure to find his way back to Nats Park at some point during the 2021 season.

Corbin, meanwhile, ends up not really missing any time. Since tonight’s game will be the Nats’ fifth of the season, they are technically still in the first time through the rotation. That could be huge for Nats, who rely heavily on their three-headed monster in the rotation: Corbin, Stephen Strasburg, and Max Scherzer. The Nats turn to Corbin tonight looking for their first victory since Juan Soto walked them off with an RBI single in their first game of the season.

Nationals Set Opening Day Roster

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After having their first four games postponed due to positive Covid-19 tests within the organization, the Nationals have announced their roster for today’s season opener. Four Nationals players are said to have tested positive, with several more in the organization being deemed close contacts who are also going through protocol. Tuesday’s announcement was accompanied by a dizzying series of roster moves, which included placing catchers Yan Gomes and Alex Avila; left-handers Patrick Corbin, Brad Hand and Jon Lester; infielders Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer; first baseman Josh Bell; and outfielder Kyle Schwarber on the Covid-19 related injured list. Right-hander Will Harris was also placed on the 10-day injured list after his recent procedure to address a blood clot.

In a sequence of corresponding roster moves, the Nats recalled catcher Tres Barrera; right-handers Ryne Harper and Kyle McGowin; infielders Carter Kieboom and Luis Garcia; lefty Sam Clay; and outfielder Yadiel Hernandez from their alternate training site. Washington also selected the contracts of veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy and outfielder Cody Wilson. Wilson was specifically designated as a “replacement player,” indicating that he can be removed from the 40-man roster and sent back to the minors without clearing waivers as the affected Nationals players are cleared to return to the roster.

Notably, the Nationals’ Opening Day roster includes shortstop Trea Turner — a welcome development after Turner was absent from yesterday’s workout with the team. Manager Dave Martinez tells reporters that Turner was not cleared to be on the field yesterday (Twitter link via the Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty), so it seems he cleared protocols this morning. Turner will be joined in the Opening Day infield by Ryan Zimmerman, Hernan Perez (at second) and Starlin Castro (at third). The Nats will give Andrew Stevenson the nod in left field alongside Victor Robles and Juan Soto, while Lucroy draws the start behind the plate, catching Max Scherzer.

The Nationals will make up yesterday’s postponed contest against the Braves in a doubleheader tomorrow. It’s not yet clear when they’ll make up their three postponed games against the Mets, although given that they’re division rivals, the remainder of this season’s schedule will provide ample opportunity for those games to be played.

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