Triston McKenzie’s latest stop in a once-promising career has already come to an end.
The Padres released the right-hander from Triple-A El Paso on Monday, cutting ties with a pitcher who signed a minor league deal with San Diego this spring in hopes of resetting his career. That move had reunited McKenzie with former Guardians assistant pitching coach Ruben Niebla while giving him a chance to rebuild away from the pressure of a big league mound.
Instead, the numbers in El Paso told the story fast. McKenzie posted a 15.98 ERA in 16 1/3 innings, struck out 22, and walked 40. His walk rate sat at 36.4 percent, and the struggles were severe enough that the Padres moved on.
The release is another sharp turn for a pitcher who, not long ago, looked like a future anchor in Cleveland’s rotation. McKenzie broke through with the Guardians in 2022, when he delivered a 2.96 ERA over 191 1/3 regular-season innings and then added 11 strong innings in the postseason. The Guardians valued that season enough to discuss an extension with his camp before everything changed.
The turning point came in 2023, when a right elbow sprain limited him to just four starts. McKenzie chose rehab over surgery, a decision that allowed him to return in 2024, but the results never fully came back. He finished that season with a 5.11 ERA in 16 starts before being sent to Triple-A Columbus.
His 2025 season opened in a bullpen role as the Guardians’ longman, but that stint ended quickly as well. Cleveland designated him for assignment one month into the season, and McKenzie later landed with San Diego on the minor league deal that has now run its course.
At 28, he is set to enter free agency for the second time in his career. This time, though, he arrives with a rough half-season behind him and a Triple-A line that included more than two walks per inning on average.
Teams used to have more room to stash a pitcher like McKenzie, someone with upside and enough stuff to soak up innings. With MLB roster caps tightening, those chances are getting harder to find.
That doesn’t necessarily close the door on him. Pitching is still too valuable for that. But McKenzie is running out of runway, and he’ll need a turnaround soon if he wants to keep his MLB career alive.
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