CLEVELAND — The trip from Atlanta to Cleveland on Monday afternoon took a little less than two hours. That was too short to trouble the flight attendant for an extra bag of pretzels but long enough for Casey Sadler to get lost in some deep thoughts.
“Lots of things to think about,” Sadler said. “A lot of emotions.”
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Triple-A Indianapolis was off on Monday after wrapping up a weekend series in Charlotte. Sadler used the downtime to take his wife Marin and their 15-month-old daughter Kaysen to visit Marin’s father in Georgia.
About an hour before lunch, Sadler’s phone buzzed. It was Indy manager Brian Esposito.
“He asked how I was, and I thought I was in trouble for spending my off day in Atlanta,” Sadler said. “He said, ‘It should be pretty easy to catch a flight from there. Can you get a 2 o’clock flight?’ We threw everything in suitcases and drove to the airport. We hit the HOV lane and skated right through.”
For the first time since 2015, Sadler was on his way back to the big leagues.
The Pirates called up Sadler to fortify their bullpen before a three-game series against Cleveland, which leads the majors with 122 runs scored this month. The Indians also are tops in July with a .288 average, 48 doubles, 76 extra-base hits and 19 stolen bases.
Prepared for the worst, the Pirates instead have enjoyed a best-case scenario through the first two games of this series. After silencing Cleveland 7-0 in six innings on Monday, they romped to a 9-4 victory on Tuesday. As the winning streak stretched to 11 games — the second-longest string in the majors this season (Houston won 12 in a row from June 6-18) — the bullpen has been asked to pick up just two innings against the Indians.
Sadler doesn’t mind the initial lack of action. After waiting 1,198 days to return to the majors, what’s another day or two?
“It feels like it was a long time ago,” Sadler said with a laugh.
As a rookie in 2014, Sadler made six relief outings scattered over five months. On April 12, 2015, he tossed five innings and picked up his first win in a spot start against the Milwaukee Brewers. A 25th-round draft pick in 2010, Sadler beat long odds getting that far. “I was very blessed to be in the right position at the right time,” he said. “It was kind of cool being the lowest-drafted player on the roster at that point.”
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He pitched well enough that it seemed he’d soon get another shot with the Pirates. Then his elbow got sore — a twinge at first, then it quickly got worse. Sadler had Tommy John surgery in November 2015.
He missed the entire 2016 season. In April 2017, while Sadler was rehabbing with High-A Bradenton, Kaysen was born. That summer, Sadler worked his way up to Double-A Altoona (10 games, 3.91 ERA) and then Indy (10 games, 6.38 ERA).
“Over the rehab process, there’s only so much physical activity you can do for so long,” Sadler said. “This year was the goal we had set for getting fully back into the swing of things. I’m excited to get going and see where it goes.”
A minor league free agent last winter, Sadler opted to re-sign with the Pirates. When spring training ended in April, Sadler and his wife packed up some things from their house in Florida and moved into a rental in Indianapolis.
“We both felt we had unfinished business and had to give it another go,” Sadler said. “I had a brand-new arm and a new outlook. I think there comes a time in everyone’s career when they have to decide what else they want to do. We feel it’s not that time yet. I’m still giving it 100 percent.”
Sadler filled a variety of roles this season. He made seven starts and 17 relief appearances, worked a total of 67 2/3 innings and posted a 4.66 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. “It’s been kind of a roller-coaster,” he said. “It’s been good, though. It’s been a test. I’m just excited to be back, so I can put what I learned down there to work.”
The ride has been bumpy at Indy. After beginning July with four straight scoreless outings, Sadler was scored upon in both of his past two games. When asked why the Pirates chose to promote Sadler this week, manager Clint Hurdle’s answer was blunt.
“Number one, he was available,” Hurdle said. “There’s always a handful of names you walk through (as options) and some of them had pitched the day before. He’s tough. He’s been through some things. He’s been built up as a starter and has worked out of the bullpen. He was fresh and available for what we were looking to add at this specific time.”
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This time around, Sadler believes he is better equipped to handle the pressure and challenges of the big leagues.
“I feel a little more mature,” he said. “I was 23 years old when I first got called up. I was a kid. Now, I’ve got a 15-month-old of my own. You grow up a little bit. When you’re more confident in yourself and in who you are as a player and a person, the more success you’re going to have. That’s kind of where I’m at right now. I’m in a good spot and ready to go.”
Even during his grueling months of post-surgery recovery and rehab, Sadler never doubted he’d someday rejoin the Pirates. As the jet plane descended through rainy Ohio skies, he thought about all he’d gone through to get there.
It was, Sadler admitted, a bit numbing. He was still wrestling with his emotions when his cab pulled up to Progressive Field.
“It really didn’t hit me until I walked into the clubhouse,” Sadler said. “Then I was like, ‘All right. I’m back. This feels like home.’ This is what I’ve always wanted to get back to, and I’m excited to get back to it. Happiness. It’s not the same kind of emotions as your first call-up. I feel like I’m back. I’ve accomplished a goal that was set many years ago. That was a cool feeling.”
(Top photo credit: Jeffrey Phelps/Getty Images)