ST. PETERSBURG. FLA. — With all that's been written about Dylan Bundy joining the Orioles starting rotation on Sunday, not much has been made of how the team hopes to rebuild right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez in the bullpen.
Jimenez can no longer be considered a member of the Orioles rotation, not even in a last option by default. In the Orioles' first three games coming out of the All-Star break, Jimenez has been listed among the team's available relievers.
But Jimenez didn't pitch in any of those games in Tampa Bay, and he hasn't pitched in a game since lasting just 1 1/3 innings on July 8 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
There's long relief and there's the deep part of the Orioles bullpen where Jimenez has been jettisoned. Jimenez wasn't even named as a possibility to fill Tuesday's open rotation spot, which will be filled by long reliever Vance Worley.
So meanwhile, Jimenez waits for his call to contribute while working on the side to get back on track.
"I'm just waiting for whenever they call my name to get into the game," Jimenez said Sunday. "Just try to do the job, try to get the job done. It doesn't matter how. It's not like I'm going to be, 'I have to be this or have to be that.' No, whenever they call, I have to be ready to do what the other [bullpen] guys do, get ready and try to do my job, whatever that is."
For now, the Orioles are intent on hoping Jimenez – who is 5-9 with a 7.38 ERA in 18 appearances (17 starts) – can work out his troubles in the bullpen. He is still owed the remainder of his $13 million for this season and another $13.5 million next year, so cutting ties with Jimenez completely isn't easy to do.
Jimenez's troubles are rooted in his command issues. He is averaging a career high 5.5 walks per nine innings, and you won't see very many successful pitchers – starters or relievers – who walk batters at that rate.
Much like the final weeks of 2014, Jimenez will go to the bullpen focusing on trying to find more consistent command. He made a slight adjustment with his hands then, not raising them over and behind his head from the stretch, and it seemed to work out well for him in a pair of spot starts down the stretch.
"Yeah, we're working on a couple things with the mechanics, trying to get a better chance of executing pitches," Jimenez said. "… It's pretty much the same as before, the hands, working with the hands. It has to do with the hands."
Jimenez said he could tell his mechanics were drifting, and over time he got away from some adjustments that worked. Now he can dedicate himself to finding a delivery that works and repeating it.
"It probably went away because I really didn't realize it because I started good," Jimenez said, referring to the beginning of the 2016 season when he posted a 3.91 ERA over his first four starts.
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