Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Returning to Triple-A rotation
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Contreras (shoulder) is expected to return to the Triple-A Indianapolis rotation this week, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Contreras was scratched from his last scheduled start Friday versus the Triple-A affiliate of the Blue Jays due to stiffness in his right shoulder, but it's apparently not a serious concern. The 23-year-old is working on a new sinker and has fared well overall since the Pirates optioned him to the minors before the All-Star break.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Scratched from Triple-A start
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Contreras was scratched from his start with Triple-A Indianapolis due to stiffness, MLB.com reports.
General manager Ben Cherington disclosed the information Sunday but did not provide any more details about the nature of the injury. Contreras is hoping to retake the mound again this season, so the issue doesn't seem particularly serious. Since being demoted to Indianapolis Aug. 4, Contreras has maintained a 2.50 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with a 17:6 K:BB across 18 frames.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Promoted to Triple-A
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The Pirates transferred Contreras from Single-A Bradenton to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
After accumulating a 6.59 ERA and 1.57 WHIP through 68.1 innings in the majors, the Pirates optioned Contreras all the way down to the Florida Complex League so he could work on his mechanics. After a two-inning appearance with Bradenton on Friday, Contreras will now face higher-level competition and could return to Pittsburgh later this season if he performs well in Triple-A.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Transferred to FCL
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Contreras' option was transferred to the Florida Complex League on Thursday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Contreras was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on July 6 but had yet to take the mound in the minors. With this move, he should have the chance to re-find his form after a disappointing first half of the season, during which has maintained a 6.59 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 55:32 K:BB across 68.1 innings. Mackey did note that Contreras is expected to pitch at a higher level again this season.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Optioned to minors
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Contreras was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.
In what had the potential to be a breakout season, Contreras has struggled mightily. He lost his rotation spot in mid-June and has since been hit hard out of the bullpen. All told, he has a 6.59 ERA and 1.57 WHIP. Even so, if he can rediscover his stuff in Indianapolis, there's a strong chance that Contreras returns to the majors before the end of the campaign.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Crushed by Dodgers
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Contreras (3-7) allowed four earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two across one inning to take the loss Wednesday against the Dodgers.
Contreras has been working in bulk relief after being removed from the rotation in mid-June. He's particularly struggled in his last two outings, allowing seven earned runs across 3.1 frames. On Wednesday, he entered the game with a two-run lead but promptly walked two of the first three batters he faced before serving up back-to-back homers. The Pirates have an open spot in the rotation after Luis Ortiz was demoted to Triple-A, but Contreras isn't likely to be in consideration for it due to his recent form.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Picks up first MLB save
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Contreras earned the save Tuesday against the Padres, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out three over three scoreless innings.
Contreras has been pitching better since moving to the Pirates' bullpen. After surrendering five runs in his first relief appearance, the 23-year-old righty has allowed just one run over his subsequent 7.1 innings with seven strikeouts in that span. Contreras lowered his ERA to 5.95 with a 1.51 WHIP and 51:29 K:BB across 65 innings this season.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Struggles continue in bullpen
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Contreras (3-6) took the loss in Wednesday's 10-6 loss to the Cubs. He allowed five runs on three hits and two walks with a strikeout over 1.1 innings.
Contreras initially looked good in his debut out of the bullpen, setting the Cubs down in order in the fifth inning. However, his fortunes changed in the sixth as he was tagged for five runs in the frame while recording just one out. Since the start of June, Contreras has allowed 17 earned runs in just 5.2 innings. His ERA is up to 6.55 with a 1.60 WHIP and 44:27 K:BB through 57.2 innings this season. If Contreras continues to struggle in a relief role, a trip to Triple-A could be on the horizon.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Moving to bullpen
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Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Contreras is being moved to the bullpen, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports. "[Contreras has] just gotten himself in a situation where he's not in his best form," Cherington said.
Contreras' move to the bullpen comes after he recorded just one out while seeing his ERA jump from 4.82 to 5.91 in Wednesday's loss to Oakland. The Pirates could still look to revisit moving Contreras back to the rotation at some point in 2023, but with a move to the bullpen on tap, the right-hander can safely be ignored in most redraft fantasy formats for the foreseeable future. The Pirates plan to call up a starter from Triple-A Indianapolis to fill Contreras' turn in the rotation during Pittsburgh's upcoming series with the Cubs this week.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Ambushed by Oakland
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Contreras (3-5) took the loss Wednesday, allowing seven runs on six hits and two walks over one-third of an inning against the Athletics. He struck out one.
The first seven A's all reached base safely before Contreras could record an out. The 23-year-old righty would depart after surrendering the sixth hit of the inning before Rob Zastryzny walked in two more runs. Contreras has now allowed 12 earned runs over just 4.1 innings in his last two outings. His ERA is up to 5.91 with a 1.54 WHIP and 43:25 K:BB through 11 starts (56.1 innings) this season.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: One bad frame Friday
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Contreras didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 7-5 win over the Cardinals, coughing up five runs on seven hits over four innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.
All the damage off Contreras came in the third inning, as he served up homers to Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado, but he was sharp in the other three frames and exited having generated 28 called or swinging strikes among his 83 pitches. The 23-year-old right-hander has been having trouble keeping the ball in the park since the beginning of May, getting tagged for seven homers in 28.1 innings over his last six starts to fuel a 6.04 ERA during that stretch. Despite the upside he'll tease on occasion, Contreras remains a risky fantasy option heading into his next outing, likely to come at home next week against the A's.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Starting Friday
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Contreras will start for the Pirates on Friday against the Cardinals, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Contreras made one relief appearance Sunday in Seattle, but with Vince Velasquez (elbow) back on the injured list he will re-enter the rotation. The right-hander holds a 4.50 ERA and just a 16.4 percent strikeout rate in his nine starts this season.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Works in relief, should still start
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Contreras appeared out of the bullpen in Sunday's 6-3 loss to Seattle in 10 innings, striking out one while allowing one hit and no walks over two scoreless frames.
Contreras appeared out of the bullpen for the first time in 2023, but his time as a reliever is expected to be only temporary. Per Justice delos Santos of MLB.com, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington implied prior to Sunday's contest that Contreras is likely to re-enter the rotation after Vince Velasquez (elbow) was placed on the 15-day injured list. The Pirates had initially planned to have Contreras shift to the bullpen to accommodate Velasquez's return Saturday from a three-and-a-half-week stay on the IL, but Velasquez lasted just two innings in his start against the Mariners that day before succumbing to another setback with his elbow. Due to an off day Thursday, the Pirates would be able to get by with a four-man rotation until at least June 6, so Contreras could be available for a relief appearance or two next week if the Pirates opt not to have him start during next weekend's series with St. Louis.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Spending time in bullpen
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Contreras is expected to move into a bullpen role for the near future, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Contreras still has time to deliver on his prospect pedigree, as he's just 23 years old, but his season so far has been a disappointment. He owns a 4.50 ERA through nine starts, with a 5.44 xFIP and 5.48 SIERA indicating that things could be considerably worse. His 16.4 percent strikeout rate, 10.8 percent walk rate and 35.5 percent groundball rate are all significantly worse than average. There's been no indication that the Pirates intend to permanently move him to the bullpen, but spending at least a few weeks there could help him reset while also help keep his innings in check. He threw 129.1 frames last season, so 150 innings is probably a fair target for this year.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Allows three runs in no-decision
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Contreras did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks over five innings in an 8-3 loss against the Diamondbacks. He struck out three.
Contreras has gone four straight starts without a win, and he's 3-4 with a 4.50 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 35:23 K:BB through nine starts (50 innings) on the campaign. The 23-year-old Contreras has looked good at times this season, tallying four quality starts, though he's been too inconsistent to trust for fantasy purposes. He's lined up to face the Mariners on the road in his next outing.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Takes loss despite solid outing
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Contreras (3-4) took the loss against Baltimore on Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out one batter.
Contreras didn't allow more than one hit in any inning Saturday, but he was dinged for a pair of solo homers to account for the two runs against him. Meanwhile, a trio of Baltimore pitchers held Pittsburgh to three hits and no runs, resulting in Contreras being saddled with a tough-luck loss. The right-hander nonetheless finished with his fourth quality start of the campaign despite notching a season-low one punchout. Contreras has allowed two or fewer runs in five of his eight starts, but a few rough outings have put his season ERA at a less-than-inspiring 4.40.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Falls to Toronto
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Contreras (3-3) took the loss Sunday, allowing five runs on nine hits and three walks over five innings against the Blue Jays. He struck out four.
Contreras has dropped his last two starts, allowing nine runs on 15 hits over 10.1innings in that span. The 23-year-old right-hander now sports a 4.74 ERA with a 1.55 WHIP and 31:19 K:BB. Contreras has shown some promise at times early in his career, but he's been too inconsistent to trust for fantasy purposes. He's tentatively lined up to face the Orioles in his next outing.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Sleeper pitchers for Week 6 (May 1-7)
Rotowire
Roansy Contreras seems to have settled in over his past three outings, all quality starts, but the strikeout rate has been less than advertised. If you're looking to maximize volume, you could justify using him in a two-start week, though the matchups against the Rays and Blue Jays are a bit scary.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Sharp in Thursday's win
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Contreras (2-1) earned the win Thursday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over 6.2 innings in a 4-3 victory over the Reds. He struck out eight.
Contreras held the Reds off the board until the seventh inning, ultimately allowing just one run while racking up a season-high eight strikeouts. The 23-year-old Contreras has been great to start the year, apart from a seven-run loss against the Astros on April 10 -- he's allowed two runs or fewer in his other three starts. Overall, the young right-hander has a 4.57 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 19:10 K:BB through 21.2 innings this season.
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Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Allows two runs over six frames
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Contreras didn't factor into the decision Saturday against the Cardinals after allowing two runs on six hits over six innings. He walked three and struck out six.
There was plenty of traffic and self-inflicted damage for Contreras in the no-decision, but the right-hander was able to keep the Cardinals at bay after giving up two runs in the first inning. He's pitched effectively in two of his three outings thus far in 2023 with the one exception being a seven-run struggle against the Astros in his previous start. It's true for many pitchers in the early stages, but Contreras has pitched better than his 6.00 ERA over 15 innings suggests.
