This was frustrating because Nastrini is just now running into adversity when he should have been addressing it back in April.
Instead, the White Sox demoted him back to Triple-A so they could give those precious development innings to the likes of Brad Keller. It was a foolhardy plan to think Keller could suddenly become a pitcher that a contender would desire.
It is even worse that they also took away Nastrini's spot so guys like Mike Clevinger and Michael Soroka could get big-league innings. Again, the hope was they would pitch well to build up their trade value—sound logic with a flawed plan.
Keller was designated for assignment and elected free agency. Soroka has been demoted to the bullpen. Clevinger continues to be a waste of time.
Pitchers only have so many figurative bullets in their arms and the Sox wasted three starts of Nastrini's overall career in the minors when those three should have been made in the big leagues. It is a lost season, and the focus should be assessing what young players already in the system can help the team going forward. It should not be about seeing if Clevinger has any trade value, especially after 29 other teams have passed on him twice on the open market,
Nothing was gained when Brad Keller was ineffective in two starts. Everything is gained by Nastrini having a rough outing because he can learn from it. He is not a known quantity yet. He can be molded into a good pitcher whereas Keller was a lost cause from the moment he was signed because he developed into a bad pitcher.
Experience is a great teacher and the Sox denied Nastrini needed schooling.
For example, maybe Nastrini was tipping his pitches. He can now go back and work on that. The problem could have arisen last month and possibly be fixed by now. It is not like he is not a self-aware guy.