McHugh gave up a hit and struck out one over two scoreless innings of relief in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.
Seeing his first game action of the spring, McHugh tossed 24 pitches, with 17 of them going for strikes. The veteran right-hander has posted a sub-1.00 WHIP in three of the last four seasons since moving into a relief role, and after collecting a career-high 17 holds in 2022, he's expected to fill a setup role once again for Atlanta.
McHugh (2-1) picked up the win in Sunday's extra-innings victory over the Nationals, giving up one hit and one walks while striking out one over two scoreless innings.
The right-hander kept Washington off the board in the 11th and 12th innings, and got rewarded for his efforts when Atlanta finally pushed across a run. McHugh has been asked to pitch more than one inning in five of nine appearances since returning from the COVID-19 list in mid-June but he's handled the workload well, posting a 3.14 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 18:3 K:BB through 14.1 innings over that stretch with both of his wins on the year. McHugh hasn't recorded a hold since June 5 however, and he doesn't appear to be part of manager Brian Snitker's setup mix at present.
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Braves' Collin McHugh: Activated from COVID-19 IL
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Atlanta reinstated McHugh (illness) from the COVID-19-related injured list Thursday.
Fellow reliever Jacob Webb was designated for assignment to clear room on the 40-man and 26-man active rosters for McHugh, who had been sidelined since June 7 after testing positive for the virus. Now that he's healthy again, The 34-year-old should reclaim a middle relief/setup role in front of closer Kenley Jansen. McHugh generated a 3.42 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 25:5 K:BB in 23.2 innings prior to landing on the IL.
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Braves' Collin McHugh: Lands on injured list
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McHugh was placed on the injured list Tuesday after testing positive for COVID-19, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
The reported positive test aligns with the fact that Atlanta declined to specify a reason for McHugh's absence or which particular injured list he landed on. The veteran reliever is reportedly vaccinated, which means he'll be eligible to return whenever the illness has run its course, though it's difficult to say exactly when that will happen. Jacob Webb was acquired from the Diamondbacks for cash considerations and will take McHugh's place on the roster for now.
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Braves' Collin McHugh: Charged with blown save Sunday
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McHugh didn't allow a baserunner in two-thirds of an inning during Sunday's loss to the Padres.
Despite his own line being clean, McHugh got stuck with his second blown save of the season as he entered the game with one out in the seventh inning and Atlanta holding a 3-2 lead, and he allowed an inherited runner to score. The veteran righty has been a disappointment so far in 2022, posting a 4.97 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 18:4 K:BB through 12.2 innings with only one hold.
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Braves' Collin McHugh: Stuck with loss Friday
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McHugh (0-1) took the loss Friday as Atlanta fell 6-3 to the Brewers, giving up two runs on one hit and one walk in one-third of an inning.
The veteran right-hander took over for rookie Spencer Strider to begin the sixth inning in a 2-2 tie and quickly made a bit of a mess, and while the loss ended up going on McHugh's ledger, it was Tyler Matzek who allowed both inherited runners to score. McHugh has a sharp 16:3 K:BB through 10.1 innings over 10 appearances this season, and while his 6.10 ERA and 1.55 WHIP are rough, his 2.10 FIP indicates he deserves a better fate.
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Braves' Collin McHugh: Picks up first hold
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McHugh struck out the only batter he faced in Monday's 5-2 win over the Mets to record his first hold of the season.
The veteran right-hander was expected to fill a key setup role in Atlanta's bullpen, but McHugh has had a rocky start to the year, posting a 5.40 ERA and 1.44 WHIP despite a 14:2 K:BB through 8.1 innings. He's tossed more than one inning in three of his eight appearances but less than a full inning in four others, and that kind of unpredictable usage could limit his fantasy upside even if his ratios do improve.
McHugh agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with Atlanta on Tuesday. The contract includes a club option worth $6 million for 2024, which has a $1 million buyout.
McHugh was a key piece for Tampa Bay's bullpen in 2021 with a 1.55 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 74:12 K:BB across 64 innings, and he'll now join the defending World Series champions. The veteran right-hander posted strong strikeout and walk rates (30.0 and 4.9 percent, respectively) last year and should step into a high-leverage role in Atlanta's bullpen.
McHugh will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher Monday against the Red Sox as part of a bullpen day in Game 4 of the ALDS, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Manager Kevin Cash hasn't appointed a primary pitcher to work behind McHugh, as the Rays will instead likely turn to a cadre of arms to fill innings out of the bullpen. As Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network notes, all of Josh Fleming, JT Chargois, Pete Fairbanks, J.P. Feyereisen, Andrew Kittredge and Matt Wisler tossed 20 pitches or fewer in Sunday's 13-inning loss, so the Tampa Bay bullpen should be relatively fresh for Monday's contest.
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Rays' Collin McHugh: Charged with loss in Game 2
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McHugh (0-1) allowed three runs on two hits and a walk while striking out two in 1.2 innings to take the loss against the Red Sox in Game 2 of the ALDS on Friday.
McHugh entered Friday's game with the Rays leading 5-3, but he gave up a pair of home runs that put him in line for the Game 2 loss. The right-hander had posted a 2.13 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 12.2 innings across his final eight appearances of the regular season, so he should still have the trust of manager Kevin Cash later in the series despite Friday's rough outing.
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Rays' Collin McHugh: Working as opener Thursday
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McHugh will start Thursday's game at Houston, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The right-hander will receive the start against his former team while serving as an opener ahead of Thursday's primary pitcher, Ryan Yarbrough. McHugh surrendered two runs his last time out Saturday but has a 2.53 ERA across 10.2 innings (six appearances) in September. The 34-year-old won't pitch deep enough to qualify for a potential victory against the Astros, but he could give the Rays multiple frames before giving way to Yarbrough.
