Triston McKenzie Heads to San Diego, Looking to Reignite His Career with the Padres
Triston McKenzie’s MLB journey has been anything but linear. Once a rising star in Cleveland’s pitching pipeline, the lanky right-hander is now headed west, signing a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres in hopes of hitting the reset button on a career that once looked destined for stardom.
Let’s rewind for a moment. McKenzie burst onto the scene during the shortened 2020 season, flashing the kind of electric stuff that had Guardians fans excited about the future.
After battling through injuries in 2021, he put it all together in 2022, delivering a breakout campaign that saw him post a 2.96 ERA over 191 1/3 innings. With pinpoint command, elite extension, and a fastball-curveball combo that gave hitters nightmares, McKenzie looked like a budding ace alongside Shane Bieber.
So much so, in fact, that Cleveland reportedly explored extension talks the following spring.
But everything changed with a shoulder injury - the kind of setback that can derail even the most promising careers. Since the start of the 2023 season, McKenzie has logged just 97 1/3 innings in the big leagues, struggling to a 5.46 ERA. The Guardians ultimately removed him from their 40-man roster in April, and he spent the remainder of the season in the minors before electing free agency in October.
Now, McKenzie is getting a fresh start with the Padres, who signed him to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. It’s a low-risk move for San Diego, and one that reunites McKenzie with pitching coach Ruben Niebla - a familiar face from his Cleveland days. That connection could be key in trying to unlock the version of McKenzie we saw just a few seasons ago.
To be clear, this isn’t the same pitcher we saw dominate in 2022. Since returning from injury, McKenzie has struggled to find consistency.
After being designated for assignment by the Guardians, he landed in the Arizona Complex League, where he posted a 6.91 ERA across 14 1/3 innings. He then moved up to Triple-A, allowing six earned runs in seven innings.
Not exactly the kind of numbers that scream “ready for a comeback.”
Interestingly, McKenzie’s fastball velocity ticked up by about two miles per hour compared to last season - a sign that the arm strength might still be there. But the results didn’t follow.
He leaned heavily on the fastball, throwing it 80% of the time, and hitters didn’t have much trouble squaring it up. That’s a far cry from 2022, when he used the heater more selectively (56.1%) to set up his devastating curveball, which held opponents to a .120 batting average.
That version of McKenzie - the one who struck out eight over six shutout innings against the Rays in the 2022 Wild Card Round - hasn’t been seen since the shoulder issues began. He opted for rehab over surgery and returned for two appearances late in 2023, but the command and sharpness just haven’t been the same. After 16 tough starts in 2024, Cleveland sent him back to Triple-A.
From a roster standpoint, the Guardians had little flexibility with McKenzie. He was out of minor league options, which likely played a role in their decision to keep him on the 40-man roster coming out of spring training. But after four mop-up relief appearances, the writing was on the wall.
A return to Cleveland might’ve made some sense given the organization’s lack of big-league-ready arms beyond Parker Messick and Joey Cantillo. But McKenzie is heading to San Diego instead - a team with its own pitching questions and a coaching staff that knows how to work with his skill set.
There are no guarantees here. McKenzie’s lack of minor league options could limit his long-term stay on the Padres’ big-league roster if he does make it back.
But for now, that’s not the concern. He’s on a minor league deal, and the focus will be on getting right - physically, mechanically, and mentally.
At just 28 years old, McKenzie’s story is far from over. The next chapter begins in San Diego, where the hope is that a familiar voice in Niebla and a fresh environment can help him rediscover the form that once made him one of baseball’s most exciting young arms.
If he can do that, the Padres might’ve just found a gem in the scrap heap.