Ponce de Leon spent the offseason smoothing out his delivery in an effort to generate better control, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The right-hander has posted a solid 3.31 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 24 big-league appearances, but he also generated an unsightly 4.8 BB/9 in 2019. Ponce de Leon therefore went to work on his delivery this offseason, especially on offspeed pitches, which he seemed to have the most trouble locating last season. With Miles Mikolas now set to miss at least one month while dealing with a sore flexor tendon, Ponce de Leon is also a candidate for a temporary spot in the starting rotation, although he still has a better chance of slotting back into a bullpen role.