Armstrong cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week and is now a free agent. The veteran reliever will look for a new club this offseason after collecting a 4.86 ERA and 66:25 K:BB over 66.2 innings for the Rays, Cardinals and Cubs in 2024.
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Cubs' Shawn Armstrong: Departs 40-man roster
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The Cubs designated Armstrong for assignment Friday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
The Cubs claimed Armstrong after he had been jettisoned from the Cardinals' 40-man roster and the veteran reliever will now go through the waiver process again. Armstrong yielded four runs with a 4:4 K:BB over 7.1 frames during his brief time with the Cubs.
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Cubs' Shawn Armstrong: Claimed by Cubs
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The Cubs claimed Armstrong off waivers Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Armstrong was acquired by the Cardinals from the Rays in late July as part of the trade package for Dylan Carlson. Armstrong posted a 2.84 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over 12.2 innings with St. Louis, but he was designated for assignment Tuesday. He'll stay in the NL Central and give the Cubs much-needed bullpen depth after Julian Merryweather was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday due to right knee tendinitis.
Cardinals' Shawn Armstrong: Jettisoned from 40-man roster
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The Cardinals designated Armstrong for assignment Tuesday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Armstrong was acquired from the Rays in the Dylan Carlson trade and has pitched well with a 2.84 ERA and 12:2 K:BB over 12.2 innings. The Cardinals are likely hoping the right-hander gets claimed so they can clear a bit of salary. Riley O'Brien will replace Armstrong on the roster and in the bullpen.
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Cardinals' Shawn Armstrong: Picks up first win with new team
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Armstrong (3-2) earned the win Sunday over the Twins, retiring both batters he faced.
Armstrong has been moderately effective in a middle-relief role since joining the Cardinals, allowing four runs over 11.1 innings across 10 appearances. He's added an 11:2 K:BB in that span. For the year, Armstrong has a 4.97 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 61:21 K:BB, one save and three holds over 58 innings between the Cardinals and the Rays. Given the success of St. Louis' high-leverage relievers, Armstrong is unlikely to move up the hierarchy.
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Cardinals' Shawn Armstrong: Acquired by St. Louis
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The Cardinals acquired Armstrong from the Rays on Tuesday in exchange for outfielder Dylan Carlson, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Armstrong was dominant in 2023 with a 1.38, 0.90 WHIP and 54:11 K:BB over 52 innings, but he's labored this season with 5.40 ERA in 38 appearances. The right-hander should primarily work in middle relief for the Cardinals.
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Rays' Shawn Armstrong: Serving as opener Sunday
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Armstrong will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Sunday's game against the Reds, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Armstrong will open his seventh game of the season and will likely throw one or two innings before giving way to Tyler Alexander, who is expected to work in bulk relief. Armstrong threw two scoreless innings with four strikeouts Tuesday while serving as an opener in the Rays' game against the Blue Jays.
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Rays' Shawn Armstrong: Opening Tuesday's contest
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Armstrong will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Armstrong will draw his sixth opener assignment of the season and is unlikely to work more than an inning or two Tuesday before exiting the game. The Rays plan to call up lefty Tyler Alexander from Triple-A Durham ahead of Tuesday's contest, and he'll be in line to work in bulk relief behind Armstrong.
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Rays' Shawn Armstrong: Slated to open Thursday's game
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Armstrong will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Thursday's game against the Athletics.
He'll likely work no more than an inning or two before giving way to lefty Tyler Alexander, who is expected to operate as a bulk reliever. Armstrong has previously been used as an opener four times this season, striking out 11 over six innings while allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks.
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Rays' Shawn Armstrong: Will open Friday's game
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Armstrong will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Friday's game against the Royals, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The right-hander will likely cover no more than an inning or two before turning the ball over to lefty Tyler Alexander, who is slated to handle the bulk of the innings out of the bullpen. Armstrong will be serving as an opener for the fourth time this season after allowing four runs (three earned) with an 8:2 K:BB over four innings in his first three starts.
Armstrong will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
Armstrong will draw his third "start" of the season, but he hasn't recorded more than six outs in any of his eight appearances and is unlikely to work more than once through the batting order, if that. Manager Kevin Cash hasn't outlined his plans for once Armstrong exits the game, but Tyler Alexander is available on his standard four days' rest and will presumably operate as a bulk reliever after tossing 5.1 scoreless innings in his last start Friday against the Yankees.
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Rays' Shawn Armstrong: Serving as opener Sunday
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Armstrong will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Sunday's game against the Giants, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.
Armstrong isn't expected to work more than an inning or two before turning the game over to Tyler Alexander, who is slated to work as a bulk reliever. Through four appearances (one start) this season, Armstrong has covered 6.1 innings while striking out five and allowing four earned runs on six hits and four walks.
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Rays' Shawn Armstrong: Two-inning save Sunday
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Armstrong pitched two innings, allowing one run on a hit and a walk while striking out one batter and securing a save in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Rockies.
Armstrong was called upon to protect a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the eighth frame, entering the game with no outs and the bases loaded. He was able to escape the inning unscathed before surrendering a run in the bottom of the ninth frame, but he was able to secure his first save of the 2024 campaign. Armstrong has been shaky at best so far this season, giving up five runs (four earned) over 6.1 innings in four appearances with Tampa Bay.
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Rays' Shawn Armstrong: Earns loss as opener
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Armstrong (0-1) picked up the loss Sunday, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and one walk over one inning. He struck out one.
Armstrong served as the opener for the Rays on Sunday, allowing two runs to cross in his one inning of work. While he allowed the first three batters to reach base, leading to the first run of the game on a Justin Turner single, the second run was set up by a passed ball and is the reason Armstrong ended up as the pitcher of record.
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Rays' Shawn Armstrong: Serving as opener
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Armstrong will be used as an opener in Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
It's not an unfamiliar role for Armstrong, who has been an opener on nine occasions for the Rays over the last two seasons. Tyler Alexander is poised to follow Armstrong as the bulk reliever.
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Rays' Shawn Armstrong: Settles with Rays
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The Rays and Armstrong avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.05 million contract Thursday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
Armstrong was eligible for arbitration for a third time. The right-handed reliever was fantastic for Tampa Bay in 2023, collecting a 1.38 ERA and 54:11 K:BB across 52 frames. He's slated for middle relief with the Rays again in 2024.
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Rays' Shawn Armstrong: Set to open Saturday's game
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Armstrong will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Saturday would have been Zack Littell's turn in the rotation, but he ended up covering 1.1 innings in relief in Friday's 11-4 loss. The Rays also deployed another starting pitcher in Taj Bradley for one inning in relief Friday, likely in a deliberate attempt by manager Kevin Cash to keep all of his rotation options available for a possible wild-card round matchup with this same Blue Jays squad. As a result, the Rays look poised to lean on a melange of relievers to cover the final two games of the regular season, with Armstrong leading off Saturday's contest. Armstrong hasn't covered more than three innings in any of his appearances in the majors or minors this season, so he's unlikely to work deep into Saturday's game to qualify for a win.
Armstrong did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing two hits over two scoreless innings against Colorado while striking out two.
Armstrong allowed two hits in the first inning but managed to pitch his way out of it before going 1-2-3 through the second frame. The 32-year-old reliever has not allowed a run over his last five outings, racking up 12 strikeouts to only one walk over that stretch (8.2 innings). He has, however, surrendered multiple hits in three of his last six appearances.
