It’s been a frustrating season for Andrés Muñoz, and he was getting in work for the first time since June 8, taking over in Washington with his team trailing by eight runs. He only faced two batters, walking Jorbit Vivas and allowing an RBI double by Jacob Young. He summoned the training staff and departed after throwing nine pitches (55.6 Strike%).
He has allowed multiple runs in two of his last three outings and at least a run in four of his last six.
Before this outing, he had already suffered five blown saves, including three of his previous four chances between May 19 and June 7. It’s frustrating since he has a 25 K-BB percentage, a contact rate below 60 percent (59.1), and his highest swinging strike percentage (18.8) since 2023. He’s struggled with his four-seam fastball, which, through his first 24.1 innings, has allowed a .438 BABIP, a .481 weighted on-base average (wOBA), and a 1.076 on-base plus slugging percentage. Can he overcome this? His SIERA (2.53) says it’s possible, but his xERA (4.36) worries about his quality of contact allowed.
Adding in lower back tightness after an extended period of inactivity is not encouraging. In the best-case scenario, the team may monitor and manage his injury, but he struggled in 2023. If he misses time, a matchups-based approach could ensue. If this happened:
Projected Hierarchy: *Gabe Speier | *Eduard Bazardo | *Jose A. Ferrer
*= closer-by-committee
Over the last 30 days, Speier has recorded the best results among his bullpen brethren:
If any news regarding an injury list stint emerges, this will be updated.
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Statistical Credits: