Kevin Cash announced that his “Bullpen Day” pitcher has earned a spot in the starting rotation.
Yonny Chirinos, the rookie right-hander, has impressed early on this season — sporting a 2.70 ERA in his 20 innings of work. Despite an 0-1 record, the underlying numbers have impressed Cash enough to keep his rotation spot. He will be making his fourth start in the series finale against the Minnesota Twins.
In his last start, against the Texas Rangers, Chirinos allowed six earned runs in 5.2 innings, his first runs given up on the year.
Last season between Double-A and Triple-A, Chirinos held a 13-5 record while striking out 141 batters in 168.1 innings while allowing only 51 earned run (2.73 ERA). His impressive season earned him 2017 Minor League Pitcher of the Year by the Rays Baseball Operations Department.
