Cincinnati Reds left-handed pitcher Joe La Sorsa (illness) made his spring training debut on Monday. La Sorsa tossed a shutout frame against the Milwaukee Brewers. He tallied two punchouts and did not allow a baserunner. The southpaw was sidelined during the early part of camp due to an illness. However, seeing him return to action suggests he will not face any limitations by Opening Day. Last season, La Sorsa logged 17 2/3 innings with the Washington Nationals and held a 4.58 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP. He tallied 14 punchouts with a strong 6.8 percent walk rate. In 2023, the 26-year-old posted a similar 4.41 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP across his first 32 2/3 MLB innings. Fantasy managers should expect the St. John's product to continue to compete for a low-leverage role in the Cincinnati bullpen during the remainder of camp.
Cincinnati Reds left-hander Joe La Sorsa (illness) is recovering from an illness and is expected to report to spring training in a few days, according to The Athletic's C. Trent Rosecrans. In addition, right-hander Albert Abreu has yet to secure his visa but is expected to report to camp by next week. Both La Sorsa and Abreu are non-roster invites to spring training this year. The Reds also announced the signing of right-hander Josh Staumont to a minor-league deal this week that includes an invitation to major-league camp. La Sorsa, 26, was released by the Washington Nationals this offseason but quickly latched on with the Reds and will attempt to win a roster spot out of spring training. In 16 relief appearances for the Nats in 2024, he sported a 4.58 ERA and 1.24 WHIP with 14 strikeouts and five walks in 17 2/3 innings. La Sorsa will likely begin the 2025 season in the minors.
The Washington Nationals requested unconditional release waivers on left-hander Joe La Sorsa on Wednesday. The 26-year-old southpaw was recently designated for assignment by the Nationals to make room on the 40-man roster for Japanese pitcher Shinnosuke Ogasawara last week. La Sorsa cleared waivers and will now be free to sign with any MLB team ahead of spring training in just a few weeks. The former 18th-round selection by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019 out of St. John's University made his major-league debut in 2023 with the Rays before joining the Nationals later that season. In his two years at the MLB level, La Sorsa has a 4.47 ERA (4.61 FIP) and 1.25 WHIP with 42 strikeouts and 14 walks in 50 1/3 innings (all in relief).
According to Mark Zuckerman of MASN, the Washington Nationals have designated left-handed pitcher Joe La Sorsa for assignment. This transaction opened a roster spot for left-handed pitcher Shinnosuke Ogasawara, who the team signed to a two-year contract earlier on Friday. La Sorsa logged 17 2/3 innings for the Nationals last season. He posted a 4.58 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP. He showed strong command with a 6.8% walk rate but struck out batters at a low 18.9% rate. Across 89 2/3 career innings at the Triple-A level, La Sorsa has held a strong 2.91 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. He struggled to generate strikeouts at that level as well as he struck out just 68 batters. Given his lack of major league success, fantasy managers should expect La Sorsa to open the 2025 season at the Triple-A level.
Joe La Sorsa
• RP
•
Reds
