Josh Winckowski has been optioned to Worcester to make room for Brayan Bello’s activation Sunday.
View: https://twitter.com/sean_mcadam/status/1789428933957394682?s=46
View: https://twitter.com/sean_mcadam/status/1789428933957394682?s=46
Josh Winckowski Optioned to AAA for Bello’s activation
- Thread starter soxhop411
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Add to this that Winck made it known that he wanted to be a starter this season, but understood that if he was to contribute his role was in the pen. This gives him the opportunity to be part of a regular rotation and to be the first man up when needed.
Huh, at first glance, I don’t love this. But, Criswell doesn’t deserve to lose his job. I probably would have sent down Kelly, but he’s pitched pretty well too. They surely like having two lefties. Likely don’t want to cut bait on Anderson yet, he’s been ok and you want as much depth as possible. Sure it was a tough decision, but a byproduct of having lots of guys pricing well. Josh will be needed again, probably soon.
Dalbec needs 10 more days in the minors (after today) for his option to be "burned." Seems likely to happen even if he's called back up in the next week (because surely he'll be sent back down again later), and it's not really an undesirable outcome. Being optionable depth is his greatest value at the moment. When that goes away at the end of the year, they'll move on to someone else for that role. Someone like Meidroth, Sogard, Yorke or Binelas. The latter three of which are all Rule 5 eligible this winter so will probably be added to the 40-man anyway.
As for Winckowski, keeping him stretched out isn't the worst idea. Even if everyone is relatively healthy for the rest of the season, there likely will be some need for load managerment that would necessitate a few more starts from Winck. The pen has the depth at the moment that they're not going to miss him significantly, and he can obviously be called right back up if there's a need.
Another reason to keep him stretched out is one of these days a starter will leave the game early and there will be a need for a long reliever who can go multiple innings.
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Winck has options, and of the relievers with options, the most opportunity to stretch out, and frankly, some of the worst stuff and walk rate. I think he's almost definitely better than Chase Anderson at this juncture, but Chase doesn't have options, and he at least doesn't really walk people.
Winck has been walking 4 per 9 innings and only striking out 7 per 9. That's pretty middling. Not too many earned runs, but yeah, I don't think the bullpen is really going to miss him while he's down there. There's plenty of guys with options in the bullpen, so he'll be first up if they really need a live arm.
Bernardino, Weissert, Kelly, and Booser all with options. Those are some VERY good live arms that can go down if the bullpen is really thin.
Winck has been walking 4 per 9 innings and only striking out 7 per 9. That's pretty middling. Not too many earned runs, but yeah, I don't think the bullpen is really going to miss him while he's down there. There's plenty of guys with options in the bullpen, so he'll be first up if they really need a live arm.
Bernardino, Weissert, Kelly, and Booser all with options. Those are some VERY good live arms that can go down if the bullpen is really thin.
So what’s his path to returning to the team as a starter- assuming Whitlock returns and replaces someone, is Winckowski next man up after that? Or is it that Winckowski as starter gets him the most work and best situation to make adjustments, and then he will return in whatever role necessary at the right time?
I'd imagine it's the latter. Starting in Worcester gives him opportunity to work on whatever adjustments they want him to make, keeps him stretched out in case they need to call him up in the rotation, and does nothing to prevent him from moving to the bullpen if needed. Maximum flexibility.
Agree with RedsHawks. Especially in light of the fact that he looked better in his starts in Boston than as a reliever. To my untrained view, he had the freedom to expand his pitch selection as a starter and was more constrained in relief. More inning at a time gives him more chances to work on things, both in games and between starts.
I wonder if the WInck demotion is as much about limiting his workload as anything. When sent down after Game 39, he was on pace for 101 IPs and 470 batters faced, which is obviously a lot for someone working mostly from the pen. He has pitched one inning in the last 8 days and is not scheduled to start in Worcester tonight.