The first month of Major League Baseball’s season is coming to a close this weekend. Teams begin the evaluation process with their rosters, as changes are likely to occur.
Kyle Hart’s struggles on the mound made it clear that he would succumb to his ineffectiveness. Following another disappointing outing, the San Diego Padres quickly assigned him to El Paso.
Hart’s pitching struggles could go unnoticed any longer
Hart made five starts, four of which lasted five innings or fewer. He had an impressive 6.7% walk rate but struggled to strike out opposing hitters (17.8% K rate).
Another concern is Hart’s low ground ball rate (33.3%), as he left the ball in the strike zone. He’s given up six home runs this month.
Hart’s pitching arsenal has served as batting practice for right-handed hitters. They’re hitting.333 against him. His changeup isn’t neutralizing them early in the count.
Schedule dictates four-man rotation
The schedule makers did the Friars a favor by not requiring a fifth starter until May 5 during the series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. It will enable Padres manager Mike Shildt to use a four-man rotation in the meantime.
Because of the lack of starting pitching depth, the Friars cannot afford to have a starter in the rotation be ineffective for an extended period of time. The timeline for Yu Darvish’s return to the active roster is unclear. Keep an eye on Bryan Hoeing as a spot starter when he returns from the injury list.
The demotion appeared to be academic, but Hart can use the assignment to Triple-A El Paso as motivation to regroup and improve his pitching consistency. He needs to seize the opportunity rather than squander it, as Hart has done before. Positive results may encourage the Padres to bring him back to the majors.
Granted, five starts is a small sample, but Hart has been inconsistent. However, there is no need to panic.
The Padres’ roster move may have been influenced by the number of off days coming up this week. Hart must use this time to address his pitching issues before returning to San Diego.
If not, it’s difficult to imagine the Friars bringing him back anytime soon.
