Last year, Ross Stripling was a great story on the Toronto side. The gunner, who didn’t have a good stint with the Jays, obviously found the right adjustments, so he established himself as an important part of the starting rotation.
And considering that he became a free agent at the end of the campaign, let’s say he chose his moment well.
As a matter of fact, Stripling was able to find a good fortune, signing a two-year, $25 million contract with the Giants to solidify the rotation there.
The problem is, things haven’t been going well for Stripling so far in 2023. He’s allowed six home runs and 10 earned runs in just 10 innings of work. For those following at home, it’s a 9.00 ERA after three games.
And clearly, we seem to want to find a solution in San Francisco, so Stripling will mainly be used as a reliever from now on.
The team isn’t ruling out giving him a few occasional starts (much like he did in Toronto initially), but he’ll mainly be used as a relief. Anyway, there are so many starters in town that someone has to give up their place in the rotation.
If there are any injuries, Stripling is likely to return to the rotation, but there seems to be a desire to allow him to find some rhythm in a role where he has already enjoyed success. It’s still a good amount of money for a reliever who is not an endgame specialist, but we must not forget that he has an impact beyond the relief.
It will therefore be one to watch over the next few weeks, but clearly, Stripling seems to be the extra man in the rotation at the moment.
It’s up to him to bounce back and prove that he deserves his place in it.
