Rockies' Nick Mears: Activated, optioned to minors
Rotowire
The Rockies reinstated Mears (oblique) from the 15-day injured list Saturday and optioned him to Triple-A Albuquerque.
Mears has been on the IL since May 15 with a left oblique strain. He's allowed two runs over six innings out of the big-league bullpen this season, but he will return to Triple-A where he holds a 6.97 ERA and 2.08 WHIP on the year.
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Rockies' Nick Mears: Shelved with oblique strain
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The Rockies placed Mears on the 15-day injured list Monday with a left oblique strain, Danielle Allentuck of The Denver Gazette reports.
Mears had given up two runs over six relief innings after being recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque in late April. He'll be eligible for activation later this month.
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Rockies' Nick Mears: Recalled from Albuquerque
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Colorado recalled Mears from Triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday.
Mears will take the place of Noah Davis on the 26-man roster after Davis was placed on the injured list with elbow inflammation. The right-hander will likely work in a low-leverage capacity out of the Colorado bullpen.
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Rockies' Nick Mears: Optioned to Triple-A
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Mears was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque by the Rockies on Tuesday.
Mears was claimed off waivers by the Rockies from the Rangers in January. The right-hander turned in a 1.27 ERA in seven innings during Cactus League play with 11 strikeouts, but he also walked six while allowing four hits in those contests. Mears will likely be an up-and-down option for the Colorado bullpen through the 2023 season.
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Rockies' Nick Mears: Claimed by Rockies
Rotowire
The Rockies claimed Mears off waivers from Texas on Friday.
After spending just four days with the Rangers organization, Mears is on the move for the second time this offseason. The 26-year-old reliever recorded a 4.80 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in the minors last season, though he was able to throw two scoreless frames in the majors at the very end of the year. The Rockies are starving for depth in their bullpen, so it's very possible Mears begins the 2023 season in the majors.
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Rangers' Nick Mears: DFA'd by Texas
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Mears was designated for assignment by the Rangers on Tuesday.
Mears was claimed off waivers by the Rangers last week, but he was only briefly on the team's 40-man roster. The 26-year-old made only two big-league appearances last season and had a 4.74 ERA over 24.2 innings at Triple-A.
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Rangers' Nick Mears: Claimed by Texas
Rotowire
Mears was claimed off waivers by the Rangers on Friday.
The 26-year-old was designated for assignment by the Pirates last weekend and will now join the Rangers. Mears missed the first four months of 2022 while recovered from elbow surgery, and he had a 4.74 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 27:17 K:BB in 24.2 innings at the Triple-A level.
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Pirates' Nick Mears: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Mears was designated for assignment Sunday.
The Pirates acquired Connor Joe in a trade with Colorado and needed to clear a 40-man roster spot. A 26-year-old righty, Mears has a 97-mph fastball, but he also has a poor 14.9 percent walk rate in 30.1 MLB innings. He could get another shot in the majors if he can improve his control.
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Pirates' Nick Mears: Joins big-league bullpen
Rotowire
The Pirates recalled Mears from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Starting pitcher Luis Ortiz was optioned to Triple-A to open up a spot on the 28-man active roster for Mears, who will be available out of the bullpen over the Bucs' final three games of the season. Mears has missed most of the season while recovering from arthroscopic elbow surgery, but he's been healthy since late July and was pitching regularly out of the Triple-A bullpen prior to his promotion. Over his final nine outings at Triple-A, Mears allowed three runs (two earned) and struck out nine over 12.1 innings.
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Pirates' Nick Mears: Activated and optioned
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Mears (elbow) was activated off the 60-day injured list Saturday and optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Mears has been out all year after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow in early February. He's been pitching in the minors on a rehab assignment since late May, with a month-long disruption in the middle due to forearm tightness, and he'll remain in the minors for now.
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Pirates' Nick Mears: Launching rehab assignment
Rotowire
Mears (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Bradenton on Tuesday, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Mears has been out since the beginning of the season while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow, but he appears to be on the cusp of a return in the coming weeks. The 25-year-old produced a 5.01 ERA and 1.63 WHIP with 23 strikeouts over 23.1 innings in 30 appearances with Pittsburgh last season.
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Pirates' Nick Mears: Close to playing catch
Rotowire
Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that the team envisions Mears (elbow) playing catch in the coming days, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Mears has been shut down for two weeks after he experienced right forearm tightness following a rehab start at Triple-A Indianapolis in June. However, the right-hander had his rehab transferred to the Pirates' alternate spring training facility in Florida and is close to resuming a throwing program. Once he's ultimately cleared to resume throwing, Mears will presumably need to build his workload back up following his shutdown.
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Pirates' Nick Mears: Not yet throwing
Rotowire
Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Mears (elbow) hasn't yet resumed throwing, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Mears experienced right forearm tightness following a rehab start at Triple-A Indianapolis last Wednesday, and he's been shut down for a week. However, Tomczyk hopes that the right-hander will resume throwing off flat ground in the coming days. A better idea of Mears' return timetable is unlikely to be revealed until he resumes mound work.
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Pirates' Nick Mears: Managing right forearm tightness
Rotowire
Mears (elbow) is dealing with right forearm tightness following Wednesday's rehab start at Triple-A Indianapolis, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Mears has been recovering from right elbow surgery since mid-March and appeared to be closing in on a return from the injured list prior to Wednesday's outing, but it's concerning to see him dealing with a forearm issue. The Pirates haven't yet determined the next steps in his recovery process, but he'll likely be monitored in the coming days.
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Pirates' Nick Mears: Shifts rehab to Triple-A
Rotowire
Mears (elbow) moved his rehab assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis on June 7 and has made five appearances for the affiliate, covering 4.1 innings while giving up three earned runs on three hits and three walks and striking out six.
Mears opened his 30-day rehab window at Single-A Bradenton on May 25, so the Pirates will either have to pull him off the assignment or activate him from the 60-day injured list during the upcoming week. Since the Pirates may not have a spot available for him in the big leagues once he's formally reinstated, Mears could end up being optioned to Indianapolis.
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Pirates' Nick Mears: Slated to begin rehab assignment
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Mears (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment at Single-A Bradenton on Wednesday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Mears began the season on the 60-day injured list as he continues to recover from arthroscopic elbow surgery, and his rehab assignment will likely be the final step in his recovery process. The right-hander isn't eligible to be activated until early June, so he'll presumably make several appearances in the minors before rejoining the Pirates' bullpen.
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Pirates' Nick Mears: Should throw next week
Rotowire
Mears (elbow) is expected to begin a throwing program next week, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
The Pirates placed Mears on the 60-day injured list March 15, so the 25-year-old right-hander is still in line miss the first two months of the season while he recovers from arthroscopic elbow surgery. The fact that he's on track to start throwing soon will at least give him a chance to rejoin the Pirates once the 60-day window comes to an end.
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Pirates' Nick Mears: Shut down following elbow surgery
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The Pirates placed Mears on the 60-day injured list Tuesday while he continues to recover from arthroscopic surgery for his right elbow, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.
Biertempfel relays that Mears had the procedure Feb. 9 for the purpose of cleaning up scar tissue in his right elbow. Since his surgery wasn't a reconstructive one, Mears should have a chance at being available to rejoin the Pirates in June once the 60-day window ends. The Pirates signed veteran reliever Heath Hembree to take Mears' spot on the 40-man roster and in Pittsburgh's bullpen.
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Pirates' Nick Mears: Picks up win
Rotowire
Mears (1-0) allowed one hit in one-third of an inning of work en route to the win in Saturday's 8-6 victory over the Reds.
Mears picked up the first decision of his career Saturday night, though he did concede an RBI double that tied the game before inducing a groundout from Nick Castellanos to end the frame. It's probably not how he dreamed of his first big-league win, but they all count.
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Pirates' Nick Mears: Solid bullpen work
Rotowire
Mears allowed one hit in two-thirds of an inning in Friday's 8-6 loss to Philadelphia. He struck out one batter.
A wild pitch contributed to his third blown save with an inherited runner scoring, but Mears continues to show small signs of improvement -- he hasn't been scored on in 10 of his last 12 appearances. Manager Derek Shelton is using the 24-year-old and his 95.6 mph fastball in high-leverage situations and he could pick up an additional hold or two over the season's final week as he builds a case for 2022.
