Wantz discovered the cutter while working out at home during the pandemic, and teammate Ryan Tepera has helped him perfect it this season. Wantz has a 2.20 ERA over his last 15 games.

Wantz went 1-0 with a 4.94 ERA, 1.244 WHIP, 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.0 WAR in 21 relief appearances during his rookie year. He was elevated into a larger role in 2022, ...

That followed up a spring in which Wantz allowed zero runs in his six outings. And that follows a season in which he posted a 3.22 ERA and a 1.152 WHIP. He’s been very good.