Yesterday Jonathan Papelbon pitched in a minor league game, in which he gave up two runs to Twins’ Double-A players. His reaction:
“This was exactly what I wanted.”
He’s referring to the fact that he got work in and was focusing on his mechanics, but it’s also worth noting that he has a 12.60 ERA this spring. At some point you’d think that getting dudes out is exactly what he wants.
(thanks to Erik for the heads up)
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports that reliever Shawn Tolleson is retiring from baseball. The right-hander experienced a setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery last week.
Tolleson, who turns 31 years old on Saturday, last pitched in the majors in 2016. He had two very good years out of the bullpen for the Rangers in 2014-15, posting an aggregate 2.88 ERA with 145 strikeouts and 45 walks across 144 innings.
Tolleson signed a one-year deal with the Rays in January 2017 before undergoing Tommy John surgery several months later. The Rangers inked him to a minor league contract in December 2017, but he wasn’t able to work his way back.
