Corey

Knebel

Knebel was cut loose earlier this month by the White Sox and will continue to attempt to make it back to the big leagues for the first time since the 2022 season when he made 46 relief appearances for the Phillies. The 32-year-old former closer has 72 saves over 312 appearances in the majors dating back to 2014. Given the state of the Angels’ bullpen, there’s a high degree of probability he gets a look in the coming weeks.

Knebel signed a minor league pact with Chicago back in mid-February and never wound up making it back to the majors. Fastball velocity was an issue for the 32-year-old righty in recent outings with Triple-A Charlotte and there wasn’t much of a path back to the big leagues with the rebuilding White Sox.

Knebel previously gave up seven earned runs in two innings for Single-A Winston-Salem. Unfortunately, his hardest pitch last night was just 91.1 mph, which is about six mph off his average from his best season in 2017 and 4.6 mph down from his average in 2022, before he suffered a torn shoulder capsule that cost him a year and a half.

Lee will get some extra time back in the minors with veterans Martín Maldonado and Max Stassi handling the catching duties for Chicago to open the season. Barlow and Knebel were dark horses to make the club’s season-opening bullpen as non-roster invitees. They’ll likely wind up opting out of their minor league contracts in the coming days.

Knebel decided not to sign with a team last year while rehabbing the torn shoulder capsule he suffered in Aug. 2022. The 32-year-old has typically been effective while healthy — he has a 3.26 ERA and 72 saves in 312 career appearances — but he’s pitched a total of 83 2/3 innings in the majors over the last five years. If he returns this spring with his stuff intact, he’ll be a big-time sleeper for saves. At this point, though, he has to be considered quite a long shot.

Knebel landed on the 15-day injured list last week with a right lat strain and is also dealing with a significant shoulder injury. The 30-year-old right-hander is hoping to avoid undergoing surgery, but no decision has been made yet. There should be some clarity on his status in the next few weeks.

No real surprise here after Knebel was diagnosed with a right lat strain following an exit from Sunday’s loss to the Mets. It’s unclear exactly how much time the veteran stopper will miss, but fantasy managers should expect him to miss at least a few weeks. His absence most likely creates an opportunity for David Robertson to pick up a few additional save chances moving forward.

The good news, is that it wasn’t anything arm-related, though he’ll head for an MRI exam on Monday and will likely wind up on the injured list. Expect the Phillies to provide more clarity on a potential timeline for his return after Monday’s imaging.

No word yet on exactly what happened with the right-hander, but it appeared to be arm-related. Knebel struggled badly with his command during his outing, throwing just five of his 14 pitches for strikes. Expect the Phillies to have an update on his status after the game.

Knebel gave up five runs in a blowout loss to the Braves nine days ago, but that’s actually the only time in his last 17 appearances that he’s been scored upon. He’s pitching just as well as the Phillies hoped when they signed him to serve as their closer, but he’s no longer any threat for saves because of the David Robertson deal and Seranthony Dominguez’s emergence.