1:07pm: The Orioles have introduced the number of Nittoli’s contract. In corresponding strikes, left-hander Cade Povich was optioned to Triple-A and Coulombe was transferred to the 60-day IL.
8:45am: The Orioles are deciding on the contract of right-hander Vinny Nittoli, as MASN’s Roch Kubatko reported this morning. The righty signed with the membership on a minor league deal earlier this month. The membership might want to make a corresponding 40-man transfer so as to add Nittoli to the roster, although that might be completed by transferring lefty Danny Coulombe to the 60-day injured record.
Nittoli, 33, was a Twenty fifth-round decide by the Mariners again in 2014 and has spent his decade in skilled baseball largely as a minor league journeyman. After spending a number of years in Seattle’s minor league system, Nittoli departed affiliated ball in 2017 and spent two years pitching within the unbiased American Affiliation earlier than catching again on within the minors. Over the course of his skilled profession, he’s suited up for the Mariners, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Yankees, Phillies, Cubs, Mets, A’s, and now the Orioles on the Triple-A stage. In all that point, nevertheless, he’s obtained solely scattered enjoying time within the majors with 13 large league appearances to his identify.
Greater than half of these appearances got here with the A’s earlier this season. He pitched eight innings of labor in whole with Oakland, and carried out to a powerful 2.25 ERA with 5 strikeouts in opposition to two walks. The righty has truly obtained equally transient cups of espresso within the main leagues in every of the final 4 seasons, having first made his large league debut with the Mariners again in 2021. In all, Nittoli sports activities a 3.07 ERA regardless of a lackluster 5.02 FIP and a strikeout price of simply 16.4% in 14 2/3 innings of labor on the large league stage.
Regardless of these comparatively pedestrian numbers on the large league stage, it isn’t laborious to see why the Orioles could be excited about giving Nittoli a take a look at the large league stage. He’s been nothing wanting dominant on the Triple-A stage this yr with a 2.73 ERA in 26 1/3 innings of labor break up between the associates of Oakland and Baltimore. That already spectacular determine is made all of the extra intriguing by the truth that the vast majority of these innings got here within the inflated offensive setting of the Pacific Coast League, the place the Athletics’ affiliate in Las Vegas performs. Nittoli has paired these sturdy run prevention numbers with an eye-popping 36% strikeout price on the stage this yr, suggesting that there might be a significant enchancment in expertise to go together with the outcomes.
Altogether, Nittoli’s resume is fascinating sufficient for the Orioles to present him a shot of their bullpen combine. The membership’s aid corps has been roughly league common this yr, rankings 14th in baseball with a 3.84 ERA, however there’s definitely room for enchancment forward of the membership’s back-end duo of Yennier Cano and Craig Kimbrel, significantly after Coulombe underwent surgical procedure final month. Proper-hander Bryan Baker, for instance, will be optioned to the minors and has struggled to a 5.14 ERA and 4.38 FIP in 14 innings of labor with the membership.
