They kept saying they were going to stretch him out, last year, but it never really materialized.
His 4 IP, today is a career high in MLB, although his pitch count was not even close to his career high.
In 2021, he pitched 3.1 IP, his most of the season, in his first outing (59 pitches were his most, too).
He only pitched 3 IP once more (May 13th) and only pitched more than 2 IP five times, all season and only once (8/23) after May 13th.
It's like he started out going longer in relief than he did after May 13th.
Now, he did go more than 1 IP in 31 of his 46 appearances, so in that sense, he was not a short reliever.
His last 4 outings, he never went beyond 1 IP.