Reds' Justus Sheffield: Inks minors deal with Reds
Rotowire
Sheffield signed a minor-league contract with the Reds on Friday.
Sheffield posted a 7.63 ERA and 1.88 WHIP last season through 63.2 total innings between Seattle's and Atlanta's minor-league systems. The 28-year-old southpaw will now join the Reds' farm system in an effort to return to the majors for the first time since 2022, though he will likely stay put in the minors as organizational depth for the foreseeable future.
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Braves' Justus Sheffield: Gets minors deal from Atlanta
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Sheffield signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on May 4.
Sheffield has been assigned to the organization's Florida Complex League team and its season hasn't started yet, so Atlanta might be having him work on his mechanics before elevating him to a full-season affiliate. The left-hander, a first-round pick back in 2014, was released by the Mariners last month after allowing 13 earned runs across his first 8.1 innings with Triple-A Tacoma this year.
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Justus Sheffield: Released by Seattle
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Sheffield was released by the Mariners on Thursday, Mike Curto of the Tacoma Rainiers' broadcast team reports.
Sheffield was designated for assignment during the offseason and had surrendered 13 earned runs across his first 8.1 innings with Triple-A Tacoma this year. Given that, it's not particularly surprising he was released, though it's still a significant fall for a formerly well-regarded prospect.
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Mariners' Justus Sheffield: Sent outright to Triple-A
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Sheffield cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma by the Mariners on Thursday.
Sheffield got the boot off the 40-man roster last week to open up a 40-man roster spot for Tommy La Stella. A former top prospect, Sheffield holds a career 5.47 ERA in 186 innings (33 starts, 15 relief appearances) at the major-league level. It's certainly notable that he didn't draw much interest from other MLB teams on the waiver wire leading into what will be his age-27 campaign.
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Mariners' Justus Sheffield: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Sheffield was designated for assignment by the Mariners on Thursday.
Sheffield made double-digit appearances in the majors in 2020 and 2021 but was limited to just six appearances (one start) for the Mariners last year. He posted a 3.86 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 11.2 innings and will lose his spot on the 40-man roster after the team signed Tommy La Stella on Thursday.
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Mariners' Justus Sheffield: Victorious in first start
Rotowire
Sheffield (1-0) earned the win in Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader win against Detroit, allowing five runs on seven hits and four walks with four strikeouts in five innings.
Making his first appearance since April 27, Sheffield was up as the 29th man for Tuesday's doubleheader and earned the win despite pitching poorly. The 26-year-old surrendered the bulk of the damage on a Kody Clemens grand slam in the fifth inning while also loading the bases in the first and third, though he was able to escape those frames with just one run of damage. The former top prospect barely pitched in the majors this year -- he compiled a 3.86 ERA in 11.2 innings -- following a subpar 2021 and his chances in the big leagues may be running out.
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Mariners' Justus Sheffield: Starting Game 2 on Tuesday
Rotowire
Sheffield will start Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Tigers, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.
Considering Sheffield has a 5.37 career MLB ERA and hasn't thrown more than three innings in an outing since he threw five innings Sept. 6 at Triple-A, he is highly unlikely to qualify for a win in this spot start. This should resemble more of a bullpen game. Sheffield is up as the 29th man.
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Mariners' Justus Sheffield: Up as 29th man
Rotowire
Sheffield is up as the 29th man for Tuesday's doubleheader against the Tigers.
The Mariners do not have a confirmed starter for the nightcap, but Sheffield has not pitched more than three innings in an outing since Sept. 6, so he would likely need to follow an opener or appear as a middle reliever to qualify for a win if he is used Tuesday.
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Mariners' Justus Sheffield: Moves past stiff neck
Rotowire
Sheffield (neck) struck out three and allowed three earned runs on six hits and two walks over five innings in his most recent outing for Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday.
Sheffield missed only one turn through the Tacoma rotation after a stiff neck resulted in his first start out of the All-Star break being skipped. Over 64.1 innings for the Triple-A club this season, Sheffield has compiled a 6.85 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 60:23 K:BB.
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Mariners' Justus Sheffield: Dealing with neck stiffness
Rotowire
Sheffield was scratched from his scheduled start Friday for Triple-A Tacoma while in pregame warmups due to stiffness in his neck, but the Rainiers are still hoping he'll take the mound when next scheduled Wednesday, Rainiers play-by-play broadcaster Mike Curto reports.
The left-hander has produced a 2-0 record but a 5.34 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over 28.2 innings covering his first five starts since returning to Tacoma after serving as the 27th man for a doubleheader in mid-June against the Angels. Sheffield's status should be the subject of an update early in the week as his next scheduled start draws nearer.
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Mariners' Justus Sheffield: Returns to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Mariners optioned Sheffield to Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday.
Sheffield was returned to the minors one day after Seattle designated him as its 27th man for a doubleheader with the Angels. He appeared in the second game of Saturday's twin bill, striking out one and allowing one hit and no walks over two scoreless frames in relief.
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Mariners' Justus Sheffield: Joins active roster as 27th man
Rotowire
Sheffield was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to serve as the 27th man during Saturday's doubleheader against the Angels.
Sheffield made four appearances out of the Mariners' bullpen in April and tossed 4.2 scoreless innings. However, he's been working as a starter in Tacoma, where he posted an 8.51 ERA and 1.75 WHIP in 30.2 innings over eight starts. The southpaw should be available to pitch multiple innings during Saturday's twin bill before presumably returning to the minors.
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Mariners' Justus Sheffield: Rounding into form as starter
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Sheffield started Triple-A Tacoma's loss to Sacramento on Sunday and allowed an earned run on four hits over five innings. He struck out six.
A second-inning solo home run was the only real damage sustained by Sheffield, who's now pitched to a 3.00 ERA over nine innings across his last two starts. Those results represent a significant improvement from Sheffield's first two turns with the Rainiers following a May 1 demotion from the Mariners; he allowed nine earned runs on nine hits over 3.1 innings in that pair of starts after making four appearances out of the bullpen for Seattle in the first three weeks-plus of the season.
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Mariners' Justus Sheffield: Demoted as part of roster cuts
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Sheffield was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Sheffield made four relief appearances for the Mariners during the first few weeks of the regular season, and he struck out two in 4.2 scoreless frames. However, he'll head to Tacoma, where he'll likely be part of the starting rotation.
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Mariners' Justus Sheffield: Another impressive appearance
Rotowire
Sheffield fired two scoreless innings in a loss to the Rays on Wednesday, allowing no hits and one walk.
The left-hander continues to carry an unblemished ERA through four appearances, with manager Scott Servais affording him plenty of rest between outings. Sheffield, a one-time member of the rotation, worked his first multi-inning outing of the season Wednesday, and he'll likely be one of the primary candidates to log spot starts should any starting pitcher go down with injury.
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Mariners' Justus Sheffield: Sparse usage early
Rotowire
Sheffield has logged just one appearance thus far in 2022, firing a perfect inning during which recorded a strikeout Sunday against the Twins.
The big left-hander was expected to open the season in a long-relief role, but manager Scott Servais interestingly has called his number just once, and for a one-inning appearance at that. Sheffield will naturally start to see some work as the season unfolds, but he may have a difficult time working back into the starting rotation if No. 5 starter Matt Brash continues to pitch well.
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Mariners' Justus Sheffield: Long relief in Tuesday's loss
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Sheffield worked out of the bullpen in a Cactus League loss to the Royals on Tuesday, allowing three unearned runs on a hit and two walks across 2.2 innings. He struck out one.
The left-hander has now logged a pair of multi-inning relief outings in his only two appearances of spring, and he ran into some trouble Tuesday after firing a pair of scoreless frames in his Cactus League debut against the Guardians on Thursday. While Sheffield may still have an outside chance at the No. 5 spot in the rotation to open the season, both Matt Brash and George Kirby have impressed in their bids for that role. Meanwhile, it's also possible Sheffield is more valuable for the time being as another left-handed option out of the bullpen that can help ease the burden on fellow southpaw Anthony Misiewicz.
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Mariners' Justus Sheffield: Competing for starting role
Rotowire
Sheffield is building up for starting duty in spring training and is expected to compete for a spot in the Mariners' Opening Day rotation, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
The 25-year-old lefty broke camp last season as a member of the rotation, but after posting a 6.48 ERA in 73.2 innings over his 15 starts, the Mariners opted to use him out of the bullpen when he returned to the roster in September following a seven-week stint on the injured list with a forearm strain. Sheffield didn't fare any better in a limited sample of relief appearances, so Seattle will continue to develop him a starter with the hope that a full offseason of recovery will translate to better results in 2022. Even when he was a more serviceable starter for the big club in 2020, Sheffield relied heavily on weak contact to get outs rather than making bats miss, so his fantasy upside may not be especially high even if things break right for him.
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Mariners' Justus Sheffield: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Sheffield was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Monday.
Sheffield had been filling a relief role since he returned from a forearm strain at the start of September. He hasn't been good in that role, allowing nine runs (eight earned) in 6.2 innings of work while walking eight batters and striking out just six. Wyatt Mills was recalled to take his place in the bullpen.
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Mariners' Justus Sheffield: Multi-inning relief stint in loss
Rotowire
Sheffield allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk over 2.1 innings of relief in a loss to the Astros on Monday.
The left-handed starter-turned-reliever was decent over his 40-pitch outing, which marked his third out of the bullpen since being activated from the injured list Sept. 1. Sheffield's other two relief appearances consisted of scoreless one-inning efforts in which he picked up a win, so he's been effective overall in his new role.
