The Cardinals released Parker from his minor-league contract Thursday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
A veteran of 350 career MLB appearances, Parker attended big-league spring training with the Cardinals as a non-roster invitee, but he was unable to secure a spot in the Opening Day bullpen. The 37-year-old did little to make a case for a promotion during his time at Triple-A Memphis this season, turning in a 6.59 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in 27.1 innings. Given his age and poor performance at Triple-A thus far in 2022, Parker seems unlikely to resurface in the majors again.
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Cardinals' Blake Parker: Reassigned to minor-league camp
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Parker was reassigned to minor-league spring training Friday.
Parker joined the Cardinals as a non-roster invitee Saturday, but he was unable to land a spot on the team's Opening Day roster. Although he'll report to Triple-A Memphis to begin the year, it wouldn't be surprising to see him join the major-league bullpen at some point in 2022.
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Cardinals' Blake Parker: Gets opportunity with Cardinals
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Parker signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Saturday that includes an invitation to spring training, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Parker was effective across 43.2 innings with Cleveland last season, as he maintained a 3.09 ERA with a 37:14 K:BB. With Alex Reyes (shoulder) out for the early portion of the season, the Cardinals could use additional depth in the bullpen. Given that, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Parker ultimately make the Opening Day roster with a strong spring showing.
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Indians' Blake Parker: Takes loss Tuesday
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Parker (2-1) allowed a run on one hit and struck out three in 1.1 innings, taking the loss Tuesday versus Kansas City.
Parker was perfect in the seventh inning, but he allowed a one-out single to Whit Merrifield in the eighth. Bryan Shaw then entered the game in relief and allowed an RBI triple to Nicky Lopez. With the run on Parker's line, he took his first loss of the season. He's added a 2.74 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 35:14 K:BB while seeing mainly low-leverage assignments across his 42.2 innings this year.
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Indians' Blake Parker: Shaky in scoreless inning
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Parker allowed two hits and struck out two in a scoreless inning during Sunday's 11-1 win over the Yankees.
The veteran right-hander put runners on the corners in the eighth inning, but he struck out Anthony Rizzo and Aaron Judge to end the threat. Parker still allows a few too many baserunners, given his 1.26 WHIP, but he's been effective at limiting the damage to a 2.54 ERA in 39 innings. He's added a 31:13 K:BB with two wins and three holds in 42 appearances.
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Indians' Blake Parker: Collects second win
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Parker (2-0) walked one and struck out one in one inning, earning the win Wednesday versus Kansas City.
Cleveland utilized Bryan Shaw and Emmanuel Clase to keep the game tied at 3-3 prior to extra innings, where Parker delivered a scoreless 10th to put him in position to grab the victory. Parker has allowed three runs in his last 15 innings, good for a 1.80 ERA in that span. He's posted a 2.16 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 26:9 K:BB across 33.1 innings overall, emerging as an effective low-leverage option despite a 7.0 K/9 rate and 90.6 mph average velocity.
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Indians' Blake Parker: Remains steady in August
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Parker has allowed two runs in 11 innings in August.
The veteran right-hander continues to provide Cleveland with solid work in a mostly low-leverage role. Parker has lowered his ERA to 2.15 with a 1.16 WHIP and 23:7 K:BB across 29.1 innings this year. While he's picked up just one win and one hold, he's done well to keep the ball in the yard with only two home runs allowed. He's also worked a 3.40 FIP and .291 BABIP, both of which indicate he could regress slightly but not dramatically.
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Indians' Blake Parker: Still pitching well
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Parker logged two scoreless innings, allowing a hit and striking out one in Monday's 9-3 win over Cleveland.
Over his last 13.2 innings, Parker has yielded two runs on 10 hits and five walks. While his strikeout numbers aren't anything special, he's been an effective reliever for Cleveland. He has a 2.35 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 17:6 K:BB across 23 innings while adding a win and a hold in a low-leverage role.
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Indians' Blake Parker: Solid in July
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Parker has allowed just one run across 7.1 innings in July.
He's probably gotten a little lucky, since he's allowed six hits and three walks while striking out just two this month. Parker's done a good job of keeping the ball in the yard, allowing just one home run in 16.2 innings this season. The 36-year-old owns a 2.70 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 11:4 K:BB, and his 3.51 FIP indicates his results so far are mostly sustainable. That said, Parker has just one win and one hold in 18 appearances, mainly in a low-leverage role.
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Indians' Blake Parker: Logs scoreless inning
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Parker allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning in Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader versus Tampa Bay.
The right-hander has only allowed runs in three of his 14 appearances this season. Parker owns a 2.92 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 10:4 K:BB across 12.1 innings, and he's added a win and a hold. The 36-year-old is likely to remain in a low-leverage role.
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Indians' Blake Parker: Registers first win of 2021
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Parker (1-0) gave up one hit and struck out one in one inning of relief to earn the win Monday against the Twins.
Parker entered the game in the bottom of the seventh inning, stranding a leadoff single and stolen base by Jorge Polanco. The win was the first of the year for the veteran Parker, who has been stellar out of the bullpen since joining Cleveland earlier this month. The 36-year-old owns a 2.45 ERA and 1.23 WHIP with a 9:0 K:BB over his first 7.1 innings.
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Indians' Blake Parker: Logs first hold
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Parker pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout and earned a hold in Saturday's 6-3 loss to Pittsburgh.
Parker relieved starter Cal Quantrill and protected a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning. The 36-year-old reliever has allowed two runs on eight hits and struck out five through six innings spanning his first seven appearances of the season. Parker will likely continue to see low-leverage usage, as James Karinchak and Emmanuel Clase have gotten the lion's share of the late-inning work.
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Indians' Blake Parker: Contract selected by Cleveland
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Parker's contract was selected by Cleveland on Saturday.
Parker began the 2021 campaign with Triple-A Columbus and tossed 11 scoreless innings across 12 relief appearances this year. He'll now join the major-league bullpen after right-hander Eli Morgan was sent down as part of a corresponding move.
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Indians' Blake Parker: Fails to win bullpen spot
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Parker will not open the season on Cleveland's active roster, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
Parker has 34 career saves to his name and is coming off a season in which he finished with a 2.81 ERA and a 36.2 percent strikeout rate, so he seemed like an obvious choice for a bullpen spot with at least an outside chance to handle high-leverage innings. He didn't make a good case for himself this spring, however, allowing 12 runs (seven earned) in 6.1 innings, striking out seven but also walking seven. As a non-roster invitee, that wasn't nearly enough to earn him a roster spot. It's unclear if he'll head to the minors or look to latch on elsewhere.
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Indians' Blake Parker: Inks deal with Cleveland
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Parker signed a contract with Cleveland on Monday, which includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.
The financial terms of Parker's deal have not yet been disclosed, but according to Heyman, he could earn up to $2.5 million with incentives. The right-hander posted a 2.81 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with a 25:9 K:BB across 16 innings for the Phillies a season ago and will have an opportunity to earn a spot in Cleveland's bullpen during camp.
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Blake Parker: Heads to open market
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Parker elected free agency Friday, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.
Parker was one of very few reliable options in a historically bad Phillies bullpen last season, posting a 2.81 ERA in 16 innings. His strikeout rate jumped more than 10 points to a career-best 36.2 percent, though that came with a jump in walk rate to 13.0 percent. It's clear he still has something to offer teams even at age 35, so there should be a fair amount of interest in the veteran righty and his career 3.52 ERA.
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Phillies' Blake Parker: Effective as opener
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Parker struck out three over two perfect innings as the opener in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Marlins.
He didn't factor into the decision, an eventual 5-3 loss, but Parker gave the Phillies every opportunity to seize an early lead. The veteran right-hander has been one of the few bright spots in the team's bullpen this season, going 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 19:5 K:BB over 12.2 innings.
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Phillies' Blake Parker: Starting Game 2
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Parker will start Game 2 of Friday's doubleheader against the Marlins, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Parker hasn't lasted more than two innings in any of his relief appearances this season, but he'll make his first start of the season in Friday's matinee. While the right-hander has been largely effective this season, it's unclear how many pitches he'll be able to throw in his start.
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Phillies' Blake Parker: Picks up win in extras
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Parker (2-0) walked one in a scoreless 11th inning to get the win over the Braves on Friday.
Parker entered the game in the 11th and quickly found himself in a jam with two men on and nobody out after walking Ender Inciarte to lead off the inning. He got Austin Riley to fly out before J.T. Realmuto caught Inciarte trying to steal second. Parker escaped after Adeiny Hechavarria fouled out to third to end the scoring chance. Parker has been solid for the Phillies this year, as he has yet to allow an earned run in 7.1 innings, and he should continue to get plenty of high-leverage opportunities.
