Fair enough. However, something must have got lost in the translation. The quote from Nieve was

"I don't know what to say. I can't say anything. They tell me to pitch well, and I pitch well. I don't know what they want."

This could simply be the natural disappointment you describe. I don't know. I took it, and Purpura's statement a little differently. More like a kick in the ass than a word of encouragement, which IMO, should have been the message considering Nieve had accepted his demotion to the pen well and pitched very well out of the pen. No big deal, they are adults and this is a business, but there will always be long-term effects on how management deals with employees.