Forrest

Whitley

Whitley will take his talents to Japan in a bit of a surprising decision since he appeared poised to enter next spring with a chance to make Tampa Bay’s season-opening rotation. The 28-year-old former top pitching prospect, who was released to pursue the overseas opportunity, appeared to figure things out late last season at Triple-A Durham when he posted a sharp 2.60 ERA and 66/19 K/BB ratio across 55 1/3 innings over 13 appearances (12 starts). He’ll probably make his way back stateside at some point in the future.

Whitley was added to the Rays’ 40-man roster earlier this month, but the team is letting him go now so that he can pursue an opportunity in Japan. Presumably, the longtime Astros prospect will get to start there, whereas the Rays figured to use him out of the pen if he made the team. If all goes well, we might be hearing from Whitley again in a year or two.

This is interesting. Whitley has been added to Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster to shield him from being scooped up in next month’s Rule 5 Draft. The 28-year-old former top pitching prospect showed some real promise after being moved back into a starting role at Triple-A Durham last season, posting a 2.60 ERA and 66/19 K/BB ratio across 55 1/3 innings over 13 appearances (12 starts). He’ll presumably be in the mix for a spot in the Rays’ season-opening rotation next spring.

Whitley struck out eight, walked one, and allowed only three hits. Since the Rays transitioned Whitley back into a starting pitcher, he has posted a 1.76 ERA in 30 2/3 innings with a 39/6 K/BB ratio. With a revamped arsenal and plenty of Triple-A success behind him, we may get a chance to see Whitley make MLB starts later this season.

Whitley walked one and struck out four while producing a 14 percent whiff rate and 21 percent CSW. The swing-and-miss is not there right now, and Whitley’s velocity was down over two mph on his four-seam fastball in this one. However, the Rays have continued to tweak his changeup and cutter, which has helped fuel his success. Whitley has a 2.19 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and 31/5 K/BB ratio in 30 1/3 innings as a starter for Triple-A Durham. There may be something here.

The New York Post’s Joel Sherman adds that the White Sox are getting former top prospect Curtis Mead back in the deal. Houser is an interesting gamble for Tampa Bay given their track record with these types of reclamation projects. The well-traveled 32-year-old righty doesn’t offer much in the strikeout department, but he’s had a strong rebound campaign this season in Chicago with a sparkling 2.10 ERA across 68 2/3 innings (11 starts). His arrival likely means that Taj Bradley and Forrest Whitley are going to stay in the minors. Mead is a fascinating pickup for the White Sox given his prospect pedigree. He should get a chance to play everyday in Chicago after being blocked with the Rays.

Littell — who threw five scoreless innings on Wednesday night against the Yankees — provides Cincinnati with some additional starting rotation depth heading into the final two months of the season after posting a strong 3.58 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 89/21 K/BB ratio across 133 1/3 innings. The move to hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park won’t help his home run issues, but it can’t really be any worse than George M. Steinbrenner Field has this year. The intriguing wrinkle here is that Joe Boyle is guaranteed a rotation spot with the Rays, who now have the ability to bring back Taj Bradley, who was excellent on Wednesday night for Triple-A Durham, or roll the dice on reclamation project Forrest Whitley.

The 27-year-old struck out nine and walked two on the day while throwing 53 of his 78 pitches for strikes. Since Whitley has moved into the starting rotation in Durham, he has a 1.98 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 23/3 K/BB ratio in 13 2/3 innings. It’s a small sample size, but perhaps the Rays have figured out a pitch mix that will work for Whitley. Now if only they can find a way to also keep him healthy.

Whitley has now made two starts for Durham, and it appears that the Rays are going to try to stretch him out as a starting pitcher again. Maybe they’re riding a high after the work they did with Joe Boyle. Whitley did give up two solo home runs in this game, but he also struck out seven and didn’t issue a single walk while throwing 41 of his 57 pitches for strikes. He sat 96 mph on his four-seam fastball and flashed a six-pitch mix, including a cutter that’s now two mph harder and with slightly more “rise.” Whitley had a 31 percent whiff rate and 37 percent CSW in this game, so there may be something happening here.

The 27-year-old right-hander posted a 15.43 ERA, 2.57 WHIP and a 4/2 K/BB ratio over 4 2/3 innings out of the Rays’ bullpen before he was designated for assignment last weekend. He’ll continue to refine his craft at the minor league level for the time being.