Robert, Burger and Mendick among new faces in Charlotte last week

There was little on-the-field prospect news of note this past week except perhaps a nice start by Jonathan Stiever and a spot start in Chicago by Jimmy Lambert.  But it was far from a quiet week, with trade-deadline intrigue, roster moves and injuries, capped off Sunday by an exciting 4-3 walk-off win over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in Charlotte.

Most importantly, Luis Robert made his Charlotte rehab debut, and appeared healthy and in reasonably good form, given the length of his layout and the severity of his injury.  He had 16 plate appearances in four games, with four singles, a double and three walks, along with four strikeouts.

Robert also stole a base in Friday’s game and ran well all week, suggesting that his hip injury is no longer an issue. 

Robert is an aggressive hitter and often swings early in the count.  But manager Wes Helms said the team has a plan for Robert to see more pitches in an effort to increase his comfort level and timing.

Last week was also the MLB trade deadline, and it was unclear if Jimmy Lambert, Stiever and/or Jake Burger would be with the team afterward.  They are.  However, the team was impacted in other ways: Ryan Burr and Danny Mendick were demoted to Charlotte to clear roster spots for the White Sox, and Tyler Johnson was cut to create an opening on the 40-man roster.  (The team is hoping to re-sign Johnson.)

On the injury front, Jake Burger was removed mid-game from two games, once with a cramp and another time with wrist discomfort.  He was demoted to Charlotte this week to open a spot on the 25-man roster for Eloy Jimenez. Burger also homered in his first game back. Likewise, Micker Adolfo experienced a “pec/shoulder” issue in Friday’s game and was pulled.

Helms attributed the aches and pains to both players’ bodies reacting to the stress of a regular season after having played so little baseball in the past couple of years.  Burger and Adolfo sat in Saturday and Sunday’s games but are expected to return early this week.

Another rehabbing major leaguer, Jake Lamb, looks increasingly comfortable and locked in at the plate in his third week of rehabbing in Charlotte.  If and when he returns to Chicago is another matter. 

A Closer Look At Micker Adolfo

In eight games with the Knights, Adolfo has two home runs, two singles, a double and three walks in 31 plate appearances, along with 11 strikeouts.  But count his manager among his biggest supporters.

“You are patient with guys like him until it clicks and now he’s showing signs of doing it,” Helms said recently.  “And I’m telling you, he’s got the personality, the work ethic, he’s got everything.  It might be tonight, I don’t know, but he’s going to show you guys some things that you normally just don’t see out of the position players.”

He is an imposing physical specimen, with a tremendous arm.  “He’s a linebacker playing baseball,” Helms quipped.  “He’s stronger than anybody on the field, he’s got an absolute cannon.  He’s going to have the best arm of anybody in the outfield tonight on our team and their team, and he can run.  He’s a huge human being that can move.”

Helms continued:  “I had him in ’19 before he got hurt and I had him at the alternate site this year.  He’s that guy that if it clicks is going to do some special things.  The biggest thing with him is that he’s still learning the game.  He’s still learning his approach, so when those things click, you’re going to see some really special things out of him.”

The Offense and Defense

Because of a doubleheader on Thursday, the Knights played seven games in six nights against Jacksonville (winning two of them).  And the offense posted generally good numbers in terms of putting men on base.  But as has been the case for a whille, the Knights just cannot get the big hit at the key time of the game.

The exception was Sunday’s contest, when the Knights tied the game in the eighth and walked it off in the tenth when Nate Nolan scored on a Marco Hernandez sac fly.  It was the kind of game that the Knights have struggled to win this season — ones requiring key hits and solid relief work.

Defensively, the team has several talented outfielders.  This week was especially fun with Adolfo in left and Robert in center.  But the infield defense has been spotty much of the year.  It will be interesting to see if the return of Mendick improves that issue.

Regardless of his impact on the defense, Helms said Mendick’s win-at-all-costs mentality could help the team get things turned around.

“Danny plays with an edge,” Helms said.  “He plays the game to win.  And that can go a long way with these guys in this clubhouse, to watch him day-in and day-out in how he prepares, how he plays the game.  I hate to see him down here but I’m glad he’s here.  Maybe that can be a sparkplug for us.”

Some of the defensive issues have also been guys playing out of position.  That’s especially the case since Gavin Sheets’ promotion.  The team hasn’t had a natural first baseman since and it has cost them.

The Pitching

Among the starters, Stiever had one of his better outings of the season this week, while Mike Wright delivered yet another vintage Mike Wright effort.  Lambert also made a start early in the week but was limited to two innings as the team manages his workload.  On Sunday, he got a spot start in Chicago, threw three innings of one-run ball, and was then returned to Charlotte.

And John Parke came up from Birmingham just long enough to make one start — successfully — before returning to the Barons.  

The bullpen’s fortunes included four games when they were excellent and three games when they were miserable.

Still Other Roster Comings And Goings

The Knights signed Pittsburgh Pirate veteran reliever Kyle Crick and assigned him to Charlotte.  And relievers Danny Dopico and Tayron Guerrero were released.  They join Jacob Lindgren, Matt Tomshaw and Keyvius Sampson as bullpen arms that have been let go this year.

Up Next

The Knights make their first trip to Atlanta to face the Braves’ affiliate, the Gwinnett Stripers.  Gwinnett is pretty much a .500 team in the middle of the pack in the seven-team Triple-A East/Southeast Division, but they have owned the Knights, winning 11 of 12 games in Charlotte.

The following week, the team heads to Jacksonville in this 14-day road trip.

Photo credit: Sean Williams/FutureSox

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