The Guardians are hanging around the Wild Card race, and their bullpen has been one of the biggest reasons why. At 1 1/2 games back, they still have room to push, and late in games they’ve had a clear edge when they’re protecting a lead.
That edge may have gotten thinner over the weekend.
Colin Holderman left Saturday’s game with what the team described as right wrist inflammation, a development that immediately puts one of Cleveland’s most important relievers in focus. The Guardians don’t sound overly alarmed, but any issue with a key bullpen arm in August is going to draw attention, especially with so much still in play.
Holderman has become far more than a depth piece. After a rough start to the year, he’s turned into one of the central figures in a Cleveland relief group that can match up with just about anyone. He signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal in the offseason and has already delivered major value, posting a 2.39 ERA in 48 innings with one save.
That’s quite a turnaround for a pitcher who was originally sent down before the team even finished its opening road trip. He made his way back by the end of April, handled some long-relief work, and then forced his way into a high-leverage role with Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis because his stuff was simply too good to keep buried.
Lately, he’s been especially difficult to square up. He has allowed a run in only four of his last 19 appearances, though two of those outings came with multiple runs.
There is also a little extra concern because Holderman missed six weeks last year with a thumb issue he called “De Quervain's syndrome” in comments to MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins. He did appear in 24 games for the Pirates last season, but the results were rough: a 7.01 ERA and limited effectiveness.
Chris Antonetti, the Guardians’ president of baseball operations, told Stebbins and other reporters that Holderman believes this injury is not the same one.
Even so, the timing isn’t ideal for a bullpen that already has Shawn Armstrong and Slade Cecconi on the injured list. Since Cecconi went down, the Guardians have been rotating through options at the back end, with Logan Allen recently recalled in place of Franco Aleman.
There’s even a path for prospect Daniel Espino to get a look, though he has only thrown six big league innings this season despite all the talent in the world.
None of those arms, though, can really duplicate what Holderman has given Cleveland. And that’s what makes this latest injury worth watching.
In Other News...
Guardians Lineup Suddenly Has A New Problem Fans Cant Ignore
The Guardians have had to keep shuffling their lineup around injuries, and the latest turn only adds to the uncertainty. Rhys Hoskins was moved to the injured list because of lower back inflammation, opening a spot that Cleveland filled by bringing David Fry back up from Triple-A Columbus. It is another reminder of how quickly the depth chart can change for a club trying to keep its offense moving while managing bodies all over the roster.
Frys return at least gives Cleveland a versatile option, and he has been swinging the bat well in Columbus, which makes him a useful piece to plug into a lineup that needs stability. Chase DeLauter and Jo Adell are still active, but both are dealing with injuries of their own, with DeLauter working through mild left hamstring tightness and Adell handling a left knee contusion. For the Guardians, the bigger concern now is how long this injury pileup can keep forcing them to mix and match before it starts affecting the lineup in a more serious way. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Get A Timely Health Boost In Wild Card Push
The Guardians got a welcome bit of injury news as they head into their series against the Giants, with three players all moving in the right direction at a time when every healthy arm and bat matters. Rookie outfielder Chase DeLauter is feeling better after an MRI turned up no alarming issues, leaving him day-to-day, while the club also has encouraging signs from the pitching side with reliever Colin Holderman and starter Slade Cecconi both taking steps forward.
Holderman has resumed playing catch and is preparing to pitch, an important checkpoint for a bullpen that can use as much depth as it can get. Cecconi, meanwhile, has gotten through bullpen sessions and is expected to start a rehab assignment soon, a development that gives Cleveland another possible reinforcement to track as the wild card chase tightens and the calendar keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]
Bo Naylor Is Raising A Tough Question Cleveland Never Answered
Bo Naylors first weeks in the Brewers organization have offered a fresh look at the same bat Cleveland spent years trying to sort out. Since the trade, he has played exclusively at Triple-A Nashville, and the early returns suggest something is clicking in a different way. The changes show up in the contact profile as much as the results, with a more favorable shape to his production and a version of his offense that looks cleaner than it did before the move.
For Cleveland, the harder question is the one that always hovered around Naylor: whether the offensive gains can translate when the level changes. Milwaukee can still treat him as a catching option down the road, but the organization is really gathering evidence on whether this is a real adjustment or just a hot stretch against Triple-A pitching. The Guardians never got a definitive answer on that front, and now another club is left trying to find one. [Read more 🡒]