Mike Clevinger’s run as a big league pitcher looks to be reaching the end after the latest move from the Pirates.
The former Guardians right-hander, who spent parts of five seasons in Cleveland’s rotation, triggered the opt-out clause in his deal over the weekend and was granted his release from Pittsburgh’s Triple-A team. Even if another club takes a flier on him with a minor league contract, this may be the last stretch for a pitcher who once looked like a fixture in the middle of a contender’s rotation.
Clevinger was never the ace in Cleveland, but he was a dependable piece during one of the strongest rotations in recent MLB memory. Over his time with the Guardians, he posted a 3.20 ERA across 523 1/3 innings, with his best work coming in a 200-inning season in 2018 and a 2.71 ERA in 2019.
The Guardians turned that value into a trade at the 2020 deadline, sending him to the Padres in exchange for a haul of prospects. The move looked even better when San Diego got only 20 innings out of him before he underwent Tommy John surgery.
Clevinger returned in 2022 as an average pitcher, then spent three seasons bouncing around the White Sox system. His most recent major league work came at the start of 2025, when he made seven rough relief appearances, including the game in which he issued a walk-off walk in the Guardians’ home opener.
This season, he was in the Pirates’ minor league system and logged a 4.74 ERA in 24 2/3 innings at Triple-A Indianapolis. He struck out 24 and walked 10, but it wasn’t enough to earn another big league look.
Last year was his first season working as a reliever, and that role became full-time for him this year in hopes of extending his career. Pittsburgh never gave him that chance at the major league level, even with a bullpen that has posted a 4.21 ERA.
There’s also the baggage that has followed Clevinger through his career. In 2020, he violated MLB COVID-19 policy and lied about it, which helped lead to his eventual trade to the Padres. He was also accused of domestic violence by the mother of one of his children, though MLB ruled that he would not face discipline under the league’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.
Teams have been willing to look past that and take a chance on him if he could still pitch. The fact that no club has done so this year says plenty about where things stand now.
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