Polanco Joins Chiefs, Scanio to DL
The Peoria Chiefs and St. Louis Cardinals have announced the first roster move of the season for the Chiefs as RHP Jhonny Polanco joins the team and RHP Joe Scanio has been placed on the disabled list. Polanco will join the team Monday in Beloit, Wisconsin while Scanio lands on the 7-day DL with a fractured left wrist.
Scanio appeared in six games for the Chiefs this season going 2-1 with a save and a 3.86 ERA. He struck out eight and walked three in 9 1/3 innings. The St. Louis, Missouri native last pitched on Saturday as he earned the win against Quad Cities with 2 2/3 shutout innings and just one hit allowed out of the bullpen. Scanio earned a save on the recent homestand with one scoreless inning and two strikeouts against Cedar Rapids last Monday.
Polanco, who celebrates his 22nd birthday on Monday, pitched eight times for the Chiefs last season going 2-1 with a 5.09 ERA. He struck out 22 and walked nine in 17 2/3 innings before being sent down to extended spring training on May 9. He struck out a career-high seven batters in his final Chiefs outing on May 8, 2013 while allowing three runs over three innings. A native of Nicaragua, Polanco pitched 22 times for Short-Season-A State College last season going 4-3 with a save and a 2.63 ERA. With the Spikes he struck out 44 and walked 14 in 37 2/3 innings while holding opponents to a .234 batting average.
Polanco signed with the Cardinals in 2009 as a 17-year old from Ciudad Dario de Matagalpa, Nicaragua. He pitched in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2009 and 2010 while joining the Dominican Summer League Cardinals in 2011. Polanco made his US debut in 2012 going 1-3 with four saves and a 1.91 ERA in 15 games and seven starts for the GCL Cardinals. He finished the 2012 season with one start for Quad Cities in which he allowed three runs on eight hits over six innings in a no-decision.
The Chiefs start a seven-game road trip on Monday at Beloit with Alex Reyes (1-0, 2.19) facing Snappers RH Junior Mendez (0-1, 5.40) at 6:30 p.m. After four games in Wisconsin the Chiefs will head to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for a three-game weekend series. The Chiefs next play at Dozer Park when they begin a three-game series with Beloit on Monday, May 5. Tickets are available by calling 1-866-MYTICKET, 309-680-4008 or online at www.peoriachiefs.com through the Ticket Return link.