Medlen announced his retirement from professional baseball Sunday, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic Arizona reports.
Aside from a disastrous one-start cameo with Arizona earlier this month, Medlen had spent the entire season at the Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliate in Reno, where he held a a 5.03 ERA over 34 innings this season. He'll end his 13-year professional career with a 3.33 cumulative ERA over nearly 600 big-league innings between the Braves, Royals and Diamondbacks.
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Diamondbacks' Kris Medlen: Sent back to Triple-A
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Medlen was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Saturday.
Medlen was up for just one start and got shelled, giving up seven runs on nine hits and four walks in just four innings Friday against Houston. Braden Shipley was promoted to take his place on the roster.
Medlen's contract was purchased from Triple-A Reno on Friday.
As expected, Medlen will join the big-league squad to start Friday's game against the Astros. The 32-year-old last appeared in the majors in 2016 for the Royals, where he produced a 7.77 ERA in six starts for Kansas City. He'll face off with Gerrit Cole in his season debut. To make room for him on the active roster, Silvino Bracho was optioned to Triple-A and Taijuan Walker (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.
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Diamondbacks' Kris Medlen: Gives up seven earned to Astros
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Medlen was shelled for seven runs on nine hits over four innings by the Astros on Friday, striking out four and walking four as the Diamondbacks lost 8-0.
The 32-year-old was called up from the minors before this start with Robbie Ray (oblique) going to the disabled list and he was roughed up in a tough assignment against a talented Astros lineup. Even if he's given the benefit of the doubt based on the matchup, he wasn't pitching particularly well in Triple-A with a 6.00 ERA over his four starts, so there's little reason to expect he'll establish himself as a streaming option regardless of the competition.
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Diamondbacks' Kris Medlen: Confirmed for Friday's start
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Medlen will start Friday against the Astros, Jack Magruder of FanRagSports.com reports.
With Robbie Ray expected to miss multiple starts with a Grade 2 oblique strain, the Diamondbacks will give Medlen the first opportunity to fill in for him in the rotation. The 32-year-old Medlen hasn't appeared in the majors since 2016 and owns an unremarkable 6.00 ERA and 1.50 WHIP through four starts with Triple-A Reno this season, but his prior big-league experience likely influenced the Diamondbacks' decision. Arizona will have to clear a spot for Medlen on its 40-man roster prior to Friday's game, which can easily be done by transferring Taijuan Walker (elbow) to the 60-day DL. With Medlen lining up against the defending World Series Champions, Friday may be a good opportunity to stack bats against the veteran right-hander.
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Diamondbacks' Kris Medlen: Could replace Ray in rotation
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Medlen was scratched from his scheduled start at Triple-A Reno on Monday, an indication he could be summoned to the big leagues when the Diamondbacks require a fifth starter Friday against the Astros, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.
With Robbie Ray landing on the 10-day disabled list Monday with a Grade 2 oblique strain and expected to miss multiple turns through the rotation, the Diamondbacks will delve into their minor-league ranks to find a replacement starter. Neither of the Triple-A starters on the 40-man roster (Braden Shipley and Troy Scribner) have been particularly good this season, so it appears the Diamondbacks will instead look to Medlen, who attended spring training as a non-roster invitee, to fill the rotation void. Medlen hasn't dazzled at Reno either with a 6.00 ERA and 1.50 WHIP, but he's at least struck out a batter per inning and has enjoyed some prior success at the big-league level, although not in about five years. Arizona can easily clear a spot for Medlen on the 40-man roster by transferring Taijuan Walker (elbow) to the 60-day disabled list, so expect a transaction to become official prior to Friday's series opener.
Diamondbacks' Kris Medlen: Banished to minors camp
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The Diamondbacks reassigned Medlen to their minor-league camp Monday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.
Medlen has worked as a starter for most of his big-league career, but with no rotation spots up for grabs in Arizona, the right-hander had been competing for a long-relief role in spring training. The 32-year-old didn't provide many signs during the exhibition schedule that he would be a useful bullpen arm, finishing the spring with 11 runs allowed (nine earned) on 18 hits and seven walks over 15.1 innings. Medlen will presumably report to Triple-A Reno and return to a rotation role, but it's difficult to imagine him resurfacing in the big leagues this season as anything more than a short-term starter.
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Diamondbacks' Kris Medlen: Roughed up Monday
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Medlen was charged with three runs on six hits and a walk over two innings in Monday's 15-2 exhibition loss to the White Sox.
The 32-year-old is attending spring training as a non-roster invitee and looks unlikely to break camp with the big club after giving up 10 runs through 12 frames while allowing opposing hitters to bat .346 against him. Assuming the Diamondbacks don't release him and he's amendable to a minor-league assignment, Medlen will likely open the campaign in the Triple-A Reno rotation.
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Diamondbacks' Kris Medlen: Spring invite with Diamondbacks
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Medlen signed a minor-league deal with the Diamondbacks that includes an invitation to spring training, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
He will earn $1.1 million if he returns to the big leagues and he can opt out of the contract if he is not on the 40-man roster by March 27. Arm injuries have derailed Medlen's once-promising career. He spent most of 2017 at Triple-A with the Braves, notching a 5.42 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 84:23 K:BB in 94.2 innings. This isn't an ideal landing spot for Medlen, as the Diamondbacks have a very deep rotation, so his odds of cracking it to open the season are slim.
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Braves' Kris Medlen: Could join big-league rotation later in season
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Braves manager Brian Snitker indicated that Medlen may need to build up his workload in the minors for around three weeks before receiving consideration for a call-up, David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Medlen inked a minor-league contract with the Braves in the offseason with the understanding that he'd be behind the team's other healthy pitchers while recovering from a rotator cuff strain, but the organization's investment could soon pay dividends. The 31-year-old resumed pitching in minor-league games in late May and has generally impressed over his four total starts between High-A Florida and Double-A Mississippi, posting a 1.74 ERA over two turns with the latter affiliate. It's expected that he'll soon move up to Triple-A Gwinnett, at which point Medlen would generate more serious intrigue for a rotation spot with the big club if he continues to perform well. With 40-something starters Bartolo Colon (oblique) and R.A. Dickey struggling, hurt or both, it might behoove the Braves to see if Medlen is capable of providing an upgrade at the back end of the rotation.
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Braves' Kris Medlen: Moves rehab to High-A
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Medlen (shoulder) made a rehab appearance at High-A Florida on Saturday, tossing six shutout innings while scattering one hit and three walks to go with three strikeouts.
Making his first appearance in affiliated ball this season after he was delayed during spring training while recovering from a rotator cuff strain, Medlen navigated seamlessly through six frames, albeit against low-quality competition. He could make a few more rehab starts with some of the Braves' lower-level affiliates before eventually settling into the rotation at Triple-A Gwinnett. Since Medlen doesn't have a spot on the 40-man roster, he may face a difficult path back to the big leagues if the Braves pitching staff remains relatively healthy this season.
