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Rainey

Rainey was non-tendered last month by the Nationals after compiling a pedestrian 4.76 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 44/29 K/BB ratio across 51 innings (50 appearances) last year. It’s worth noting that he was much better down the home stretch, so the Pirates are going to roll the dice on the 31-year-old righty and give him a chance to compete in spring training for a spot in their season-opening bullpen.

Rainey was non-tendered by the Nationals last month even though he posted a 2.48 ERA in his final 29 appearances of the season. Overall, he had a 4.76 ERA over 51 innings in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. He’ll stand a decent chance of winning a spot in Pittsburgh’s pen.

With his velocity well down after Tommy John surgery, Rainey scarcely resembled a major leaguer at the beginning of last season. The velocity, though, did begin to get better, and he wound up with a 2.48 ERA in his final 29 appearances, albeit with pretty middling peripherals. He would have gotten only a modest raise from last year’s $1.5 million salary in arbitration, but the Nats have decided to look elsewhere for now.

He also hit a batter. Rainey’s velocity has been a big issue all spring — he’s been down about 4-5 mph from where he was pre-Tommy John — and he might have been trying to do too much to make up for it today. Rainey is out of options, but one imagines he’ll clear waivers if the Nationals try to send him down.

No word on the financial terms yet. Rainey figures to be ready for spring training coming off last year’s Tommy John surgery. The 30-year-old righty should factor into Washington’s high-leverage relief mix in 2024.

Rainey, coming off last year’s Tommy John surgery, will make his return to the Nationals for the final weekend of the season. Hopefully he’ll get some peace of mind going into the winter in preparation for a normal spring training.

There’s a bit of lingering uncertainty whether Rainey will pitch for the Nationals before the regular season wraps up as he completes his lengthy rehabilitation from last year’s Tommy John surgery. The positive news is that he’s healthy and continuing to throw, but all indications are that the club wants him to focus on being fully healthy heading into next spring.

Rainey has been on the shelf all season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. He has a 3.52 ERA and eight strikes over 7 2/3 innings with Triple-A Rochester but his velocity has been noticeably down. There remains no timetable for his return but the team’s goal is for the 30-year-old to be ready to go for Spring Training.

Rainey averaged 93 mph with his fastball, which is down about 3.5-4 mph from where he was prior to Tommy John. He’s put up decent minor league results anyway (5 ER, 11/6 K/BB in 10 IP), and it seems likely that he’ll make some appearances for the Nationals before year’s end.

Rainey’s velocity is still well down from pre-injury levels. He averaged 93.5 mph with his fastball last night, which is three-four mph off his usual norm. That’s not a big deal at this point, but if Rainey is going to help the Nationals late in games next year, he’ll need his fastball back to where it was.