11:55AM: Littell described the IL journey as precautionary, and he instructed Topkin and different reporters that he may miss simply the minimal 15 days.
11:07AM: The Rays introduced that right-hander Zack Littell has been positioned on the 15-day injured checklist resulting from fatigue in his throwing shoulder. The position is retroactive to August 15. Left-hander Tyler Alexander has been known as up from Triple-A within the corresponding transfer.
Littell threw 5 innings of one-run ball in his final begin on August 14, however threw solely 68 pitches, maybe indicating that his shoulder concern would possibly’ve hastened a comparatively early exit from the sport. The 68 pitches tied Littell’s second-lowest pitch depend of the season, because the veteran has been a dependable and sturdy presence within the Rays’ rotation, and leads the workforce in each innings (129 2/3) and begins (24).
These are each profession bests for Littell, who had solely 172 2/3 innings and 18 begins on the MLB degree earlier than Tampa Bay acquired the righty on a waiver declare off Boston’s roster again in Might 2023. At first, Littell labored as a reliever and opener along with his new workforce, however over the past two months of the 2023 marketing campaign, he thrived after being given the primary prolonged beginning job of his six large league seasons.
This success gave Littell one other spot in Tampa’s rotation this 12 months, and he has continued to pitch effectively, posting a 3.89 ERA over his 129 2/3 frames. Littell’s 4.7% stroll charge is among the greatest in baseball, although the remainder of his secondary metrics (resembling a 21.1% strikeout charge, 39.6% hard-hit ball charge, or 9.7% barrel charge) are beneath common. Residence runs have additionally been a difficulty for Littell, however general, his 4.05 ERA isn’t far past his bottom-line ERA.
On the value of a $1.85MM wage in his second 12 months of arbitration eligibility, Littell has been a cut price, and he’ll proceed to be an economical rotation piece even after he will get a wholesome elevate this winter. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams noticed in a subscriber-exclusive piece again in Might, Littell has been the most recent unheralded pitcher to out of the blue acquire a brand new degree of success after becoming a member of the Rays.
As we speak’s IL placement interrupts the righty’s general strong season, and given the calendar, the damage may probably threaten to finish Littell’s 2024 altogether. One other bout of shoulder fatigue price him about three weeks final season, and whereas each state of affairs is totally different, it might be that this placement is a approach to let Littell relaxation up after nearly a full 12 months of an elevated workload. The Rays may use Alexander as a bulk pitcher behind an opener whereas Littell is on the IL, or the workforce once more dip into the farm system for a substitute arm.
