The Mariners reinstated Speier (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Friday.
A left rotator cuff strain sent Speier to the injured list in the beginning of June, and he'll now return to the Mariners' bullpen after throwing two shutout innings during his rehab assignment. The 29-year-old reliever posted a 6.06 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 16.1 frames before getting hurt, and he'll likely be limited to middle relief. Mike Baumann was DFA'd in a corresponding move.
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Mariners' Gabe Speier: Scoreless rehab inning Monday
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Speier (shoulder) started the ACL Mariners' loss to the ACL Giants on Monday, firing a scoreless inning during which he allowed a hit and did not record any walks or strikeouts.
Speier got through the opening frame with minimal trouble while completing his second scoreless inning in as many rehab outings. The left-hander completed the first installment of his assignment with Triple-A Tacoma, and previous reports indicated Speier was likely to be activated ahead of the start of the second half of the season Friday if Monday's appearance didn't produce any setbacks.
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Mariners' Gabe Speier: Works one inning in rehab debut
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Speier (shoulder) fired a scoreless inning in Triple-A Tacoma's loss to Albuquerque on Friday, allowing two hits and a walk without recording a strikeout.
Speier was also credited with the hold after his 14-pitch frame, which saw him locate half of his offerings for strikes. The left-hander is now slated to move down to the Mariners' ACL team for his next rehab appearance Monday, after which he'll be evaluated for potential activation coming out of the All-Star break.
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Mariners' Gabe Speier: Rehab appearances set
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Speier (shoulder) emerged from throwing live batting practice at Petco Park on Tuesday feeling healthy and will make rehab appearances Friday and Monday, MLB.com reports.
Speier will actually kick off his rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma in Albuquerque on Friday before moving down to the Mariners' Arizona Complex League team for Monday's outing. If both appearances go well, Speier will likely be activated ahead of Seattle's first series coming out of the All-Star break against the Astros, which begins July 19.
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Mariners' Gabe Speier: Live BP upcoming
Rotowire
Speier (shoulder) is slated to throw a live batting practice either Tuesday or Wednesday, after which a decision will be made on when he'll begin a rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.
Speier has been in a throwing progression since late June, but the imminent live batting practice session will mark his first time facing hitters since May 29. The southpaw will presumably need to make at least a couple of appearances with a minor-league affiliate due the length of his absence, making a pre-All-Star-break return increasingly unlikely.
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Mariners' Gabe Speier: To begin playing catch soon
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Speier (shoulder) is no longer experiencing discomfort and is slated to begin playing catch soon, MLB.com reports.
Speier went on the injured list June 1after suddenly feeling persistent pain in the shoulder in the days following a May 29 appearance against the Astros. Even with the imminent resumption of a throwing program, Speier may not be a candidate for activation until July when factoring in the likely need for a rehab assignment.
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Mariners' Gabe Speier: Tosses clean inning in return
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Speier (neck) worked around a hit and a hit-by-pitch to turn in a scoreless inning of relief Tuesday in the Mariners' 5-3 loss to the Blue Jays. He struck out one of the five batters he faced.
Speier went unused in both of the Mariners' past two games after experiencing some neck discomfort following his most recent appearance in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Brewers. The Mariners never seemed to have much concern about Speier's health, and a couple days off was seemingly all he needed to move past the neck issue.
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Mariners' Gabe Speier: Grabs first career save
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Speier picked up the save Sunday against the Astros. He allowed one hit while striking out two over a scoreless inning.
The Mariners turned to Speier in the ninth after Matt Brash and Andres Munoz each pitched earlier in the contest. The 28-year-old left-hander struck out Yordan Alvarez and Yainer Diaz before working around a two-out single to close out a 7-6 win. Speier hasn't allowed a run in his last 13 appearances (11.1 innings). His ERA is down to 3.16 this season with a 0.94 WHIP and 46:6 K:BB across 42.2 innings. While Munoz still figures to see the majority of save chances in Seattle, Speier has proven to be a strong high-leverage option, particularly against left-handers.
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Mariners' Gabe Speier: Gets second win Saturday
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Speier (2-1) recorded the win over the Angels on Saturday, retiring the only batter he faced on a strikeout to close out the fifth inning.
What might seem like an easy win on the surface actually took some doing from Speier. The southpaw worked through an eight-pitch encounter with Shohei Ohtani that saw the two-way star work the count to 3-2 before fouling off a pair of sinkers and finally go down looking, leaving men stranded on second and third in the process. Speier has proven a highly effective addition to the Mariners bullpen, now posting eight consecutive scoreless appearances and generating an impressive 20:2 K:BB to go along with a 2.38 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and seven holds across 22.2 innings.
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Mariners' Gabe Speier: Recalled from Triple-A
Rotowire
Speier was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma by Seattle on Saturday.
Speier replaces Robbie Ray, as Ray was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left flexor strain. Speier will give the Mariners a left-handed option in the bullpen and likely work in low-leverage situations while with Seattle.
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Royals' Gabe Speier: Returning to Triple-A
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The Royals optioned Speier to Triple-A Omaha following Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Blue Jays.
Speier is one of 10 players who will come off the 26-man active roster with Kansas City needing to clear room for the 10 players returning from the restricted list ahead of the team's next game Friday against the Rays. The 27-year-old lefty reliever went unused in Sunday's loss after being called up from Triple-A prior to the contest.
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Royals' Gabe Speier: Called up from Triple-A
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The Royals recalled Speier from Triple-A Omaha on Sunday.
Speier will be joining the Royals' 26-man active roster as a replacement for starting pitcher Brady Singer (personal), who was one of 10 Royals placed on the restricted list Thursday ahead of the team's four-game series in Toronto due to his vaccination status. Because Singer started Wednesday's contest, the Royals weren't able to immediately replace him on the roster until three days later. Speier will give the Royals a fresh left-handed arm out of the bullpen Sunday in the team's final game before the All-Star break.
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Royals' Gabe Speier: Returns to minors
Rotowire
Speier was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.
Speier returned from the COVID-19 injured list last week and will now head back to the minors. The left-hander has a 2.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB over 19.1 innings this season for the Royals, so it should only be a matter of time before he's back in the majors.
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Royals' Gabe Speier: Returns to action
Rotowire
Speier walked one and struck out none in two-thirds of a scoreless inning Friday versus the Athletics.
Speier had been on the COVID-19 injured list before he was activated Friday. The southpaw has now gone 4.1 scoreless innings across his last four appearances. He had started to earn the occasional chance for holds prior to his two-plus-week absence. He's posted a 2.41 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 15:5 K:BB in 18.2 innings overall while adding two holds and an 0-1 record in 16 outings.
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Royals' Gabe Speier: Placed on injured list
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Speier was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Monday.
The Royals officially placed Speier on the IL without an injury designation, but that presumably means that he's sidelined due to the league's COVID-19 protocols. While it's not yet clear whether the southpaw has tested positive for the virus, he'll need to spend some time away from the team. Speier had been effective recently, striking out four in 3.2 scoreless innings over his last three appearances.
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Royals' Gabe Speier: Falters in first loss
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Speier (0-1) took the loss Thursday versus the White Sox. He allowed a run on three hits and recorded only one out, a strikeout.
Speier got into trouble when tasked with pitching the seventh inning. He allowed singles to three of the four batters he faced, with Adam Engel knocking in the go-ahead run for the White Sox. After 11.1 scoreless innings to start the season, Speier's experienced some regression with four runs allowed in his last two innings across three appearances. The southpaw still owns a 2.70 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 9:0 K:BB through 13.1 innings, but he'll need to settle back in after some shaky outings in the last week.
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Royals' Gabe Speier: Pitches two clean innings
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Speier didn't allow a baserunner in two innings, striking out one in a no-decision Wednesday versus the Rangers.
Wednesday's was a bullpen game for the Royals, and Speier got it started the right way before turning the ball over to Joel Payamps. Through eight outings, Speier has yet to allow a run or issue a walk. The southpaw has racked up eight strikeouts while allowing just three hits over 11.1 innings, though he's yet to record a decision, a save or a hold. His success as an opener Wednesday could lead to him seeing more time in that role later in the year if necessary.
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Royals' Gabe Speier: Serving as opener Wednesday
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Speier is listed as the Royals' starting pitcher for Wednesday's game in Texas and is expected to serve as the opener in a bullpen day, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.
Speier has yet to allow a run over seven relief appearances this season but hasn't recorded more than six outs in any of those outings. The Royals are thus unlikely to keep him in the game more than one time through the order before turning the game over to their relief corps. Former starting pitcher Kris Bubic will be available out of the bullpen and hasn't been used since May 4, so he could be a logical candidate to pick up the bulk of the innings behind Speier.
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Royals' Gabe Speier: Earns roster spot
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Speier was awarded a spot on the Opening Day roster, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Speier finished 2021 well with a 1.17 ERA and 1.30 WHIP across 7.2 innings after spending the bulk of the season with Triple-A Omaha. The southpaw saw mainly low-leverage work, and with plenty of bullpen arms ahead of him, Speier should expect to see most of his time in the middle innings in 2022.
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Royals' Gabe Speier: Sent to alternate training site
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Speier was optioned to the alternate training site after Wednesday's doubleheader against the Reds, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
The 25-year-old cracked the club's Opening Day roster, and he posted a 7.94 ERA over 5.2 innings. Speier struggled in a similar sample size for the Royals last year in his first taste of big-league action.
