Rockies designate struggling Davis for assignment

He returned to the mound on Thursday and gave up one run and two hits in one inning against Los Angeles prior to Friday's poor effort. Last season, Davis was 1-6 with an 8.65 ERA and 15 saves in 50 appearances.


Reuters | Updated: 20-09-2020 03:55 IST | Created: 20-09-2020 03:55 IST
Rockies designate struggling Davis for assignment

The Colorado Rockies are parting ways with high-priced reliever Wade Davis as manager Bud Black told reporters Saturday that Davis has been designated for assignment. The move comes one day after the right-hander allowed four runs and four hits while recording two outs during Friday night's 15-6 home loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"He was a great presence on our team," Black said of Davis. "But he really couldn't get any momentum." The 35-year-old Davis is in the final season of a three-year, $52 million contract. He went 4-13 with a 6.49 ERA and recorded 60 saves during his Colorado tenure.

Davis had a 20.77 ERA in five relief appearances this season. He allowed 10 runs and nine hits -- serving up three homers -- in 4 1/3 innings. Davis pitched three times in late July before missing six weeks with a shoulder injury. He returned to the mound on Thursday and gave up one run and two hits in one inning against Los Angeles prior to Friday's poor effort.

Last season, Davis was 1-6 with an 8.65 ERA and 15 saves in 50 appearances. The Rockies also added right-handers AJ Ramos and Antonio Santos to the major league roster and optioned right-hander Jesus Tinoco to the alternate training site.

Davis led the National League with 43 saves in 2018 in his first season with the Rockies. But he never lived up to the deal he received based on stints with the Kansas City Royals (2013-16) and Chicago Cubs (2017). Davis was an All-Star in 2015 and 2016 with the Royals and was superb in the postseason. He gave up just one earned run and 14 hits with 38 strikeouts in 25 postseason innings for the club, and didn't allow an earned run while striking out 18 in nine innings over back-to-back World Series in 2014-15.

In fact, Davis retired three hitters on strikeouts in the 12th inning to end the season as Kansas City defeated the New York Mets in five games in the 2015 World Series. Davis had a 1.00 regular-season ERA for the Royals in 2014, followed by marks of 0.94 with 17 saves in 2015 and 1.87 with 27 saves in 2016.

Davis was traded to the Chicago Cubs prior to the 2017 season and recorded 32 saves while going 4-2 with a 2.30 ERA and again earning All-Star honors. He departed as a free agent after the season and signed with the Rockies.

Overall, Davis is 63-52 with a 3.81 ERA and 139 saves in 517 appearances (88 starts). He also pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2009-12. Ramos, who turns 34 on Sunday, was signed to a minor league deal by Colorado earlier this month after he was released by the Cubs.

Ramos was an All-Star for the Miami Marlins in 2016 when he saved 40 games but his career was derailed by a torn labrum he suffered with the New York Mets in May of 2018. He is 17-18 with a 3.07 ERA and 99 saves in 374 career relief appearances with the Marlins (2012-17) and Mets (2017-18). Santos, 23, has an 8.44 ERA in two relief appearances this season, while Tinoco tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings in two appearances this week. Tinoco was acquired from the Marlins on Aug. 13.

--Field Level Media

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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