Nationals Option Andre Granillo, Recall Intriguing Right-Hander in Bullpen Shuffle
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Well, after a solid start to the year, the Washington Nationals bullpen is starting to leak some oil.
After that unit blew two separate contests against the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers last week, they tried to do the same thing on Monday when left-hander Ken Waldichuk gave up three earned runs and Andre Granillo gave up two before the offense exploded for six runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth to end the Nationals' five-game losing streak.
There will likely be a lot of turnover in Washington's bullpen throughout the year, and that started following Monday's game. Per an announcement by the team, they optioned Granillo to Triple-A Rochester. And according to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic, Paxton Schultz will be recalled to take the vacant spot.
Paxton Schultz Gets His First MLB Chance With Nationals
Schultz appeared in 13 games and started two for the Toronto Blue Jays last year. He posted a 4.38 ERA and ERA+ of 100 across those outings, with 28 strikeouts and eight walks in 24 2/3 innings pitched. But in January, he was designated for assignment by the AL champions, which allowed the Nationals to claim him off waivers.
Entering spring training, it seemed like Schultz was going to be part of the Opening Day roster. But elbow inflammation caused Washington to put the right-hander on the 15-day injured list to start the season. On his rehab assignment with Rochester, he appeared in three games and allowed one earned run across 3 2/3 innings pitched with three K's and one walk.
Now, Schultz will get his first shot in the bigs with the Nationals, as they search for consistent bullpen arms who can get outs for them when they have a lead.
Andre Granillo Gets Reset in the Minors
Granillo was an under-the-radar addition this winter when he was acquired in a trade from the St. Louis Cardinals. With an interesting profile where he limited hard contact across his 14 major league appearances last year while posting a 4.71 ERA, he seemed like he could be a solid addition to this relief staff.
Unfortunately, things haven't gone as planned for Granillo or the Nationals on that front. Through five outings, he's allowed six earned runs in 4 1/3 innings pitched. He's also only struck out one batter compared to walking five, which is a sign that things are out of sync. So, the 25-year-old will get a reset in Rochester as the organization looks to get him back on track.
There likely will be a lot of shuffling taking place in the bullpen this year, so swapping out Granillo for Schultz won't be the last move that's made.
Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai