Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Phelps expected to be out
Righty to go on bereavement, team has options
LOS ANGELES — The Miami Marlins will have a new face in the bullpen in Oakland this week.
Right-hander David Phelps is expected to be placed on the bereavement list after a death in the family, sources told the Sun Sentinel, so he will miss the team’s two-game series against the Athletics. The Marlins will temporarily promote a reliever to take his spot.
Among the relief options on the 40-man roster: righty Drew Steckenrider and lefty Hunter Cervenka from Triple-A New Orleans, plus righties Tayron Guerrero and Severino Gonzalez from Double-A Jacksonville.
Based on team need and individual merit, Steckenrider is the most logical option. This would be his first major league call-up, and he is ranked as the organization’s No. 9 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
Steckenrider, 26, has dominated with New Orleans this year: 1.25 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, .125 opponents’ batting average and 26 strikeouts (to eight walks) in 21 innings. He tossed a perfect inning Sunday for New Orleans.
In seven of 16 games and two of his past three, Steckenrider has pitched more than one inning, which is a quality the Marlins like in their relievers, particularly the younger, optionable ones like Nick Wittgren and Jarlin Garcia.
“We have him pitching multiple innings, so you never know when you might see him up here,” president of baseball operations Michael Hill said of the reports he’s received on the pitcher. “We do know that’s an area of depth for us. If something happens and he continues on this path, we wouldn’t hesitate to bring him up and take a look.”
Steckenrider limiting his walks is progress. He has struggled with free passes in his career, including during spring training with the big league team (four walks in four innings) and in a season-ending stint with New Orleans last year (13 percent walk rate). This season, that’s down to 10 percent.
Combine improved control with Steckenrider’s high-90s fastball that has helped him strike out one in three batters in 2017, and it’s easy to see why scouts view him as a potential late-innings weapon.
“When you get a big armstrength guy like that, they’re going to spray it a little bit,” Hill said. “Just got to keep him pitching.”
Braxton
in an effort to limit his innings.
Adeiny