WooSox Notebook: Chase Meidroth update after missing time this week, Tyler Heineman on Richard Fitts, Penrod on 7-day IL
WooSox infielder Chase Meidroth was a late scratch on Tuesday night ahead of the series opener against the Buffalo Bisons.
Meidroth has missed the last three games dating back to last Sunday with general soreness, a source tells Beyond the Monster. The 22-year-old has played a lot for the WooSox this season, and the thought was to get him off his feet and back in the lineup on Thursday.
In 55 games this season, the Calif. native is hitting .282/.437/.364 with 55 hits, two homers, 10 doubles, 24 RBI, 10 stolen bases, 48 walks, and a .801 OPS.
The 2022 4th round draft pick has brought an advanced plate approach to Worcester this season. He is currently sporting an 18.9% walk rate and a 10.6% strikeout rate over 254 plate appearances. He’s continued to walk more times (48) than he has struck out (27) this season.
Tyler Heineman on Richard Fitts velocity during perfect game bid
Richard Fitts flirted with a perfect game while on the road in Charlotte two weeks ago. The righty called his outing “nerve racking” after tossing seven scoreless frames, allowing just one hit and giving up an unearned run while striking out seven in his incredible outing.
“It was a fun game, ultimately, but it starts to get a little more nerve-racking. Nobody wants to talk about it in the dugout, but I was thinking about it more than everyone else,” said Fitts, taking a perfect game into the latter innings.
“I think the big thing now is trying to keep everything the same in those games. Dan (DeLucia) is coming up to me every inning, saying, ‘Hey, you need anything’ and I’m like, ‘No, I’m good. I just try to go after these hitters,” said Fitts.
His catcher for the game, Tyler Heineman, told MassLive’s Chris Smith that there was an uptick in Fitts’ velocity as he went deeper into the game.
“It’s hard to notice (an uptick in velocity) really when you’re catching him,” said Heineman. “You look up at the board, and you can see the velocity—kind of see where he’s at—but nothing really stood out from that perspective to me. It’s just more the command of all his stuff, and being able to throw any pitch in any count was really nice.”
Fitts has continued to develop this season, working on crafting a stronger slider and going deeper into games. His start in Charlotte was his best outing of the year and offered a glimpse of what he can bring to the table as a starter for the Red Sox.
“I have games like the Scranton game and get beat around a good bit, but I take a deep breath and come back in the next day have a meeting, and I look at how I can get better. Ultimately, I kind of pick up some stuff and transition to what my goals were, and I’ve now had success the last two weeks and build off that. If I have a bad outing, who cares.”
Update on Zach Penrod following his left shin injury
The WooSox placed left-handed pitcher Zach Penrod on the 7-day injured list this week with left shin inflammation.
The Tampa, Idaho, native is expected to miss at least a week with the injury, calling it “short-term.”
Penrod has made two starts for the WooSox, tossing eight innings and giving up three runs off nine hits with eight strikeouts to seven walks.
His sample size is short in Triple-A, but Penrod is focused on sticking to the same pitcher he’s been with the Red Sox prior to his promotion.
“Hitters have a much better approach up here,” Penrod said in an interview with Beyond the Monster. “It is tougher and forces me to throw in the zone a little more. They won’t bite as much, so I have to be a little more precise. I just need to continue doing what I was doing to an extent. Hitters are much more mature, as some guys have been up and down between the major leagues, so they know what kind of pitch they are looking for.”
