Bryan Baker had gotten used to the shuffling between the majors and Triple-A, just in time to run out of minor league options. He can’t bounce back and forth without clearing waivers.
It seems like a moot point now.
Baker has stood as one of the positive developments in a season that’s already stressing out much of the fan base. Injuries struck the team again. The rotation had a 5.62 ERA in the first 10 games. The defense had too many costly lapses. Every lineup is different but still attracts the detractors.
The bullpen posted a 3.55 ERA in 2023 that ranked fifth in the majors and a 4.22 ERA last summer that ranked 23rd. Félix Bautista missed the entire 2024 season while recovering from elbow reconstructive surgery and his return figured to bring improvement, but he made only two appearances before last night because of early restrictions placed on him and the lack of a single save opportunity.
To give Bautista mop-up duty is to risk making him unavailable the next night with the game on the line.