Guardians Option Promising Lefty To Triple-A

March 15, 2025

By Andres Chavez

Up until this week, Cleveland Guardians left-handed pitching prospect Doug Nikhazy was actually in contention to make the team out of camp.

He could have been a starter or a reliever in the majors, depending on how the Guards decided to build their roster.

However, earlier this week, the Los Angeles Dodgers sent him crashing back down to earth.

In his most recent start against them, he allowed seven runs in just 1.2 innings, surrendering four hits and four walks while striking out a pair.

Cleveland will now be moving forward without him in their pitching staff to start the season.

“The Guardians have optioned lefty Doug Nikhazy to Triple-A Columbus. Spring roster stands at 49,” team insider Tim Stebbins wrote on his X account.

Tim Stebbins
@tim_stebbins
The Guardians have optioned lefty Doug Nikhazy to Triple-A Columbus. Spring roster stands at 49.
12:10 PM · Mar 15, 2025
·
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Before that outing against the reigning World Series champs, Nikhazy had thrown seven scoreless frames with ten strikeouts.

He had been amazing throughout the entire Cactus League until that game, but he just wasn’t ready for LA’s high-powered offense.

Now, Nikhazy’s spring ERA went up to 7.27 in 8.2 innings.

He will continue his development in Triple-A for the time being, although it’ll be more like waiting for an opportunity to come.

He might not have much development left to do in the minors: if he is going to improve and come up with the things he needs to consistently retire tough offenses, his innings will have to come in the majors.

He posted a 2.87 ERA in 75.1 frames in Columbus during the 2024 campaign, after dominating in Double-A, too.

For now, Nikhazy will have to be patient.

Injuries, however, could potentially open up a spot either in the rotation or in the bullpen.

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He might not have much development left to do in the minors: i

Really? How about consistency and getting stretched out to be ready to fill in the major league rotation--- this move is more of a sign of confidence in him as a starter than holding on to him in the bullpen,

He's only had a 1/2 season in AAA. His prospect analysis is:
Scouting Report: Nikhazy is a 6-foot, 210-pound lefthander who throws from a repeatable three-quarters slot with a slight crossfire landing. He throws a fastball that sits 90-92 mph and has been up to 95-96 with solid riding life that helps set up a trio of effective secondaries. His mid-80s slider is his best pitch and has been effective vs. both lefties and righties with sharp action that takes on a cutter look in the upper 80s. It’s also the pitch he throws for strikes most frequently. His 77-81 mph high-spin curveball has lots of depth, but it’s more of a change-of-pace offering than a real bat-misser. His mid-80s changeup has allowed him to neutralize righties, looks like a solid-average or better offering and generated a strong 24.6% swinging strike rate. Nikhazy improved his control in 2024 but remains a fringy strike-thrower overall.
The Future: Nikhazy’s lack of velocity curbs his upside, but his quality secondaries and consistent upper-minors performance gives him the look of a back-end starter or bulk reliever.

Guardians slug four home runs, Triston McKenzie surrenders two of his own in 7-5 spring training win against Royals

Updated: Mar. 15, 2025, 7:14 p.m.|Published: Mar. 15, 2025, 7:12 p.m.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Kyle Manzardo and Gabriel Arias are swinging the bat with confidence as spring training games head down the back stretch for the Guardians in Arizona. Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez look like they are ready for the regular season to start at any moment.

But Triston McKenzie’s confidence took another hit Saturday in Cleveland’s 7-5 exhibition win against the Royals at Surprise Stadium. McKenzie struggled with the location of his pitches, allowing four runs on six hits, including a pair of home runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Manzardo and Arias, who stand to see plenty of playing time when the regular season starts in 12 days, each homered against Kansas City relievers after starter Kris Bubic befuddled Cleveland’s offense with five strikeouts in 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

Kwan posted his second straight multi-hit effort and upped his spring average to .361 and Ramirez launched his first home run off Thomas Hatch in the seventh to put the Guardians in front.

Manzardo leads the club with 14 hits and is tied for the team lead with three home runs in 13 games. He has driven in five and has a pair of doubles while striking out just seven times in 36 plate appearances.

Arias has hits in five of his last six games. His solo blast to right off Hatch in the seventh cut Kansas City’s lead to one run. Tyler Freeman tripled in the fourth, but was stranded at third base when Jacob Wallace replaced Bubic and got Manzardo and Brayan Rocchio to pop out.

Freeman is hitting .333 with a 1.049 OPS, including five extra-base hits in 31 Cactus League plate appearances.

Mckenzie surrendered a leadoff home run to Jonathan India and an RBI double to deep center field by Freeman as Cleveland fell behind early. Jordan Groshans doubled home Drew Waters in the second, and Vinnie Pasquantino homered off McKenzie in the third for a 4-0 Kansas City advantage.

McKenzie, fighting for the fifth spot in Cleveland’s starting rotation, has walked five and allowed three home runs in 11 innings of spring work. His 15 hits allowed are one behind Luis Ortiz for the most by a Guardians pitcher.

He was coming off 3 2/3 innings against the Cubs last week that saw him give up seven hits while striking out three.

Emmanuel Clase, making his fifth appearance of the spring, walked one, struck out one and allowed a hit in a scoreless sixth inning.

Andrew Walters, who had not pitched since Feb. 24 against Arizona, allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning in his return from a sore shoulder that has limited him in camp.

Angel Martínez added a solo home run for Cleveland in the eighth. It was the first Cactus League home run for Martínez, batting .172 in 31 plate appearances as he tries to win a job at second base or in the outfield.

Kahlil Watson singled and scored in the ninth on an RBI single by Alfonsin Rosario.

Alonzo Richardson walked two batters with two out in the ninth, but struck out a pair and got a fly ball out with the tying run on base to pick up his first spring save.

The Guardians improve to 9-12-1 in Cactus League play. The Royals are 13-9-1.

Heading down:

Prior to Saturday’s game, the Guardians announced left-hander Doug Nikhazy had been optioned to Triple-A Columbus. Nikhazy, 25, did not allow a run in his first three spring appearances, striking out 10 in seven innings. The lefty allowed seven runs on seven hits in his only Cactus League start Tuesday against the Dodgers.

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Welcome back to the Guardians Beat newsletter. My name is Tim Stebbins, and this is my first season covering Cleveland for MLB.com.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- For as much as the Guardians enjoy an ability to mix and match their lineup based upon matchups, there has long been two constants in the batting order: Steven Kwan hitting leadoff and José Ramírez hitting third. Recently, however, Cleveland has been trying something new: Kwan batting first and Ramírez second.

Ramírez hit third in his first five Cactus League games this spring. He’s hit second in his past seven games (dating to March 4 against the Angels), directly behind Kwan each time.

“José has hit third his whole career,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “[Hitting second] is different, and there is a different mentality. But the beauty of José is he just wants to win. That's what he told me. He said, ‘I'll hit anywhere you want.’

“And so, I was like, ‘Let's try second for spring. Let's just see if you can get comfortable there.’”
Over 12 seasons, Ramirez has made his most starts hitting third (826), followed by fifth (229) and second (173). Last season, he almost exclusively hit third (152 starts) and in the two-hole on occasion (six starts).






The Guardians could always move Ramírez back into the No. 3 spot. But Spring Training is an opportune time to test a different configuration, to see if it could work in the regular season. There is good wisdom behind the new look, too.

Ramírez hitting second will position him to get an extra opportunity at the plate each game. That will position him for more RBI opportunities, and considering he’s the Guardians’ top run producer, that’s an attractive possibility. Slotting him directly behind Kwan, who’s one of the best leadoff hitters in the Majors and an on-base machine, works hand in hand with that idea.

Major League-wide in 2024, there were 4,858 team games. Here is how the opportunities for the Nos. 2 and 3 spots in the lineup compared.

Plates appearances by lineup spot
No. 2: 21,833
No. 3: 21,356

Average plate appearances per game by lineup spot
No. 2: 4.494 plate appearances
No. 3: 4.396 plate appearances

Guardians total plate appearances by lineup spot
No. 2 spot: 711
No. 3 spot: 700






Beyond the extra trips to the plate, Kwan and Ramírez are two of the peskiest hitters to face in the Majors. Having them hit back to back could help put immediate pressure on pitchers to start a game. Last season, Kwan saw an average of 3.99 pitches per plate appearance (which was tied for 44th in the Majors), and Ramírez saw an average of 4.01 pitches (tied for 40th).

“Getting through Kwan and José right at the top is no easy task for anyone,” Vogt said.

Ramírez’s switch-hitting also protects Kwan; opponents could think twice about bringing a lefty in out of the bullpen, compared to when the Guardians slot a left-handed hitter behind Kwan, such as Kyle Manzardo down the stretch last season.

“At the end of the day, José is going to hit where he wants to,” Vogt said. “He's earned that. But we're playing around and seeing how guys work. Who do we want hitting behind him? Who do we want in front of them? And we're going to continue to play around with that.”






KWAN'S NEW JEWELRY

Kwan took a stroll around the clubhouse on Friday morning, showing off his newest piece of jewelry to teammates. It was also an unexpected addition. He received a championship ring commemorating the Midwest League championship High-A Lake County won last fall.

“It’s sick. It’s heavy,” Kwan said. “It’s a real ring.”

Kwan actually played in two games with Lake County last season (May 25-26) while rehabbing a left hamstring strain. The Captains won both games, and the Guardians’ All-Star left fielder even delivered a three-run homer in his first game.

Lake County players received their rings during a Friday ceremony at Goodyear Ballpark, before the Guardians’ Spring Breakout game against the Mariners. Kwan said the delivery to his locker on Friday was unexpected.

“I just asked for a T-shirt and they got me a ring,” Kwan said. “So it’s pretty cool.”




 
IN THE NEWS

• After Doug Nikhazy (Guardians’ No. 22 prospect) was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Sunday, who’s in Cleveland's Opening Day pitching mix? Read more >>

• Ralphy Velazquez (No. 5 prospect) enjoyed a “surreal” moment that made him feel like he was in a video game during Spring Breakout. Read more >>

• After his hot postseason last fall, Brayan Rocchio is heading into the 2025 season with new confidence. Read more >>

• John Means, who’s rehabbing from June 2024 Tommy John surgery, had a good reason to sign with the Guardians last month. Read more >>




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A spring break with some Guardians prospects — Terry Pluto

Published: Mar. 16, 2025, 6:00 a.m.

By Terry Pluto, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Parker Messick.

I knew the name, a lefty from Florida State picked by Cleveland in the second round in 2022. Now, I have a clear mental picture of him after watching Messick throw three scoreless innings against Seattle in the Spring Breakout game that was televised on MLB Network Friday.

This is a super idea. Pair up two teams and have them pick their top young prospects — then play a game. Televise it. Why not do it a few times in spring training for the hardcore fans who love to follow their team’s prospects.

The Guardians started Messick vs. Seattle’s prime prospects. Messick delivered three scoreless innings, fanning five. His fastball was in the 93-96 mph range. Best of all, he had a sneaky slider that dove away from right-handed hitters.

The 24-year-old was the ACC Pitcher of the Year in 2021. He was a second-round pick in 2022. He struck out 165 in 134 innings between Class A Lake County and Class AA Akron. He opened the season with a 3.57 ERA at Lake County and then went 4-1 with a 2.06 ERA at Akron. He was better at the higher level.

He’s become my new favorite pitcher in the Guardians farm system.






What about Tugboat?

The Guardians play near the shores of Lake Erie — a perfect place for a lefty with the nickname of Tugboat. We’re talking about Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson, who gave up three runs in 2 1/3 innings. After a rocky start, he retired 7 of the last 9 batters he faced.

Tugboat is a 6-foot-1, 270-pound lefty who is from British Columbia. He was a 10th-round pick in the 2023 draft (No. 308 overall) out of Central Arizona Junior College.

In 2024 (his first full pro season), Tugboat had an 8-6 record and 1.90 ERA between Lynchburg and Lake County — both Class A teams. The most impressive part was 174 strikeouts in 119 innings.

He is primarily a side-arming lefty. I expected more velocity, even though I heard he threw mostly in the low 90’s mph. That was his fastball Friday night. He has a sharp slider, although that motion can lead to a few hanging “Hit Me” breaking balls. Big pitchers like Tugboat are fun to watch. Like Messick, he has excellent control. Both averaged 2.9 walks per nine innings last season.

Will Tugboat be a star? Probably not. But a lefty who throws strikes even with a below average fastball can find an MLB job in the bullpen if he doesn’t make it as a starter.

A little Julio Franco?

I saw Angel Genao in a game at Lake County last season. He looked really thin. He’s now listed at 6-foot, 150 pounds and seems to have added some weight and muscle. That’s important because this guy is going to be a big leaguer, and some strength on that frame can help him rise quickly.

Genao batted .330 (.878 OPS) with 38 doubles and 10 HR between Lynchburg and Lake County last season. He’ll turn 21 on May 19. He’s a switch-hitting shortstop who seems born to play baseball. Nearly every move is fluid and confident. In some ways, he reminds me of a very young Julio Franco — although that’s probably an unfair label to put on Genao.

Franco was a rookie at 24 when Cleveland traded for him in 1983. He was listed at 6-foot, 160 pounds back then. He was a career .310 hitter in the minors, then played 23 MLB seasons. Franco’s frame filled out and he developed power later in his career.






How about Travis Bazzana?

I wonder if he’s pressing. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 MLB draft, the second baseman from Oregon State was 0 for 4 with a walk in Friday’s game. He didn’t hit the ball hard. He’s seen some action in MLB spring games and is 2 for 12 with a homer and a double. He’s fanned four times.

I saw him at Lake County last season, he went 1 for 4 with a single to left field. A lefty hitter, Bazzana batted .238 (.765 OPS) with three HR and 12 RBI in 122 plate appearances for Lake County in 2024.

Bazzana is only 22. I talked at length with him after that game in Lake County last season. He is driven to succeed. Unlike some high draft picks, he doesn’t seem to have a sense of entitlement. He was an elite college hitter (.407, 1.497 OPS, 28 HR in 60 games) for powerhouse Oregon State in 2024. My sense is he needs to go somewhere — be it back to Lake County or Akron — and just play.

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Genao and Chourio both are exciting talents both offensively and defensively. Ralphy Velazquez is a potential big bat at with lesser defensive skills. Cooper Ingle looks like a really serious line drive hitter who's improving behind the plate. Kayfus could be a Manzardo-like hitter. And then there's Bazzana who hasn't produced much earlier on but has a very high ceiling. There should be a very impressive lineup in a few years.
There should be enough minimum salaries that the Front Office would be willing to invest in a high cost longterm deal with Kwan. He would be a great team leader for a decade.

Guardians Skipper Has Seen 'Different' Gabriel Arias This Spring

Originally posted on Cleveland Guardians on SI
By Tommy Wild | Last updated Mar 16, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The Cleveland Guardians' second base job is down to just a few players after multiple candidates were identified heading into spring training.

Arguably, the front-runner right now is Gabriel Arias, who still has a ton of natural talent and potential. However, that skill hasn't quite translated to his previous 515 big league at-bats.

Stephen Vogt noted earlier this week that this isn't the same Arias he's seen in the past, and the Guardians skipper complimented the infielder for his mindset this spring.

"We see a very different, focused Gabby this spring," said Vogt.

"It's really exciting to see, just the way that he's attacking every single day, working to get himself better, and the at-bats have been pretty good as well. It's been nice to see him get a few results, but at the same time, the at-bat quality has been much improved from what we saw last year."

Arias has always been a tremendous defender, no matter where he is on the field, and he has elite arm strength to go along with that. The question has always been about the consistency with the bat.

The 25-year-old has made some very noticeable batting stance changes this spring, and these adjustments have shown signs of promise.

Arias is currently hitting .250/.273/.500 with an OPS of .773, including two doubles and two home runs in Cactus League play.

Arias is out of Minor League options, so now is the last opportunity to show he can be a viable everyday option for the Guardians' MLB team.

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Post From "X"

Tim Stebbins
@tim_stebbins
Austin Hedges dropped a single into right field and got a nice hand from fans, all the way through his walk to the dugout after he exited for a pinch-runner.
5:34 PM · Mar 15, 2025

Here's a scary thought??

What happens if Bo Naylor sustains any kind of prolonged stay on the DL??

Cleveland catcher
Bo Naylor 2024 .201; Career .211

Cleveland back up catchers:
Austin Hedges 2024 MLB .152; Career MLB .186

Columbus catchers
Dom Nunez 2024 stats .202; Career MLB .180
Jake Anchia 2024 MILB .210; career .209

Akron catchers:
Cameron Barstad: 2024 MILB .221; Career MILB .214
Kody Huff: 2024 MILB; .245; Career MILB .249
Cooper Ingle: 2024 MILB .305; Career MILB .303

Lucky Naylor is an OK defensive catcher.
Catcher position is very weak. Didn't realize how weak.
I think we should invest in the catcher position in the up coming draft.
Wow!

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Today's unimpressive start was by Lively. Although not as bad as the final line since after he left the game with 2 on and 2 out in the 4th the nonentity minor league reliever let the 2 score. But the 2 run homer in the 2 run homer in the 2nd inning was his sole responsibility as were the other 3 hits and 2 walks.

Guardians' Chris Antonetti talks AL Central, pitching and a couple of other things

Updated: Mar. 16, 2025, 5:40 p.m.|Published: Mar. 16, 2025, 4:20 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Chris Antonetti, Guardians president of baseball operations, met with reporters in Goodyear, Arizona, on Sunday with the regular season fast approaching on March 27 against Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium.

Here’s how he responded to six questions from reporters at the team’s spring-training facility in Goodyear.

Q. The Guardians won the AL Central last year. What’s your overall view of the division headed into 2025?

A. “The strength of the division last year surprised a lot of people. If you look back on some of the things we shared last year, we anticipated a really competitive division with each team being able to make a case as to why they were better.

“I think you can make the same case this year. There are four teams in the division that I think, or expect, will be contending for a division title. We’re hopeful we can be in that mix. We know we have our work cut out for us because of these talented young teams that are on the upswing.”

Q. You have a lot of pitchers still in camp who can start and relieve. When do you make a decision on putting a starter in the bullpen?

A. “Those discussions are ongoing. We’ve had a lot of conversations over the last few days on not only that, but on roster composition, and who is going to fill which role.

“We have pitchers who are not only competing for rotation spots, but they could be competing for bullpen spots ... We know we’re not going to use just five or six starters over the season. We’re going to need a number of starting pitchers. So we have to be thoughtful of what are the implications of shifting a starter to a major league bullpen role and not having that pitcher stay stretched out in the rotation in the minor leagues.”

Q. Did Tyler Naquin come to you and say, “Hey, I want to be a pitcher?”

A. “It wasn’t with me directly, but, yes, he started that process on his own. He shared some of that information with us. We were able to get some video and Trackman information, and it was really interesting.

“From there we progressed the conversation. But Tyler took it upon himself to initiate things on his own. Now we’re a partner in it with him.”

(Cleveland used its first-round pick in 2012 to draft Naquin as an outfielder. After eight years in the big leagues as an outfielder, he’s trying to convert to a pitcher).

Q. Travis Bazzana, the first overall No. 1 pick in franchise history, came out of college last year with the reputation of being an intense player. Have you seen that intensity this spring?

A. “He continues to be relentless in his work and desire to improve. Since his offseason ended, he wanted to attack his defense. He spent a week in Colorado working with Kai Correa (director of team defense and baserunning) trying to get a foundation. He put in a ton of work over the winter. He came out to Goodyear early and has continued to work on all sides of the ball.

“He is very driven to be a successful player. If anything. we have to manage his own expectations.”

Q. How do you manage Bazzana’s expectations?

A. “It’s a continual dialogue we have with Travis. What we try to share is that, ‘the draft is over. At this point it doesn’t matter where you were selected. You’re now in the player development system and what’s important, just like any other players, is what you can control in this moment.'

“Whether you were 1 of 1 or drafted in the fourth round, that doesn’t really matter.”

Q. What is a realistic return-to-play date for Chase DeLauter?

A. “We’re not quite sure what the exact return to play date looks like. I feel for Chase. He worked his tail off this winter, trying to get his body in a place where he could be healthy for the balance of the season.

“Unfortunately, during outfield drills he felt something in his hip. He ended up tearing something. The good news is Dr. (William) Myers went in there and repaired some things on his left side and right side to provide stability to his core region.”

(DeLauter, the Guardians' first-round draft pick in 2022, underwent surgery for a sports hernia on March 4. He will be sidelined eight weeks to 12 weeks.)


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Homers by Jhonkensy Noel, Juan Brito only bright spots in Guardians' 8-2 loss to Brewers

Updated: Mar. 16, 2025, 7:48 p.m.|Published: Mar. 16, 2025, 7:08 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Jhonkensy Noel and Juan Brito homered to save the Guardians fron being shut out Sunday for the first time this spring in a 8-2 loss to the Brewers at American Family Fields in Phoenix.

Noel homered in the seventh inning and Brito homered in the eighth. Cleveland is 9-13-1 in Cactus League play.

With one out in the seventh, Noel homered to left center off Delvi Garcia after the Brewers took a 7-0 lead after five innings. It was Noel’s second homer of the spring.

Brito started the eighth with a homer to center off Garcia. It was his third homer of the spring. Brito, trying to win the vacant second base job, has struggled at the plate. He has four hits, three of them home runs.

Ben Lively made his fourth start of the spring. He threw 74 pitches in 3 2/3 innings in the loss. After throwing two scoreless innings to start the game, Lively allowed a two-run homer to Sal Frelick with one out in the third for a 2-0 Milwaukee lead.

Lively (2-1, 3.55) started the fourth with two outs, but walked Vinny Carpra and allowed a single to Caleb Durbin. Josh Harlow, who went 5-4 with a 3.36 ERA at Class A Lynchburg and Lake County last year, relieved and found trouble.

Former Cleveland minor leaguer Andruw Monasterio singled to center to make it 3-0. Harlow walked Frelick to load the bases and allowed a two-run single by Jackson Chourio to give Milwaukee a 5-0 lead.

Monasterio went 3 for 3 with a walk to lead Milwaukee’s 11-hit attack

The Guardians were held to six hits. Brito was the only Guardian with more than one hit.

Right-handers Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis, two keys to the Guardians' successful bullpen last year, pitched the fifth and sixth innings with different results. Smith allowed two runs on three hits in the fifth. Gaddis retired the side in order in the sixth.

Smith had not allowed a run in his first three appearances.

Lefty Parker Mushinski, who has had a good spring, allowed one run over the final two inninigs. Mushinski is in camp on a minor league deal after pitching with Houston last year.

Brito collected his only hit that hasn’t gone for a homer this spring with a broken-bat single to center to start the third. He’s hitting .133 (4 for 30) with three homers and five RBI.

Will Brennan followed Noel’s homer with a double in the seventh. Brennan is hitting .290 (9 for 31) with two homers and five RBI. Noel and Brennan will most likely open the regular season in a platoon in right field.

Next:

RHP Tanner Bibee (1-0, 0.00) will make his second Cactus League start on Monday night when the Guardians face Terry Francona’s Reds at 9:05 p.m. EDT at Goodyear Ballpark. LHP Andrew Abbott will start for the Reds. CLEGuardians.TV and WTAM/1100 will carry the game.

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Antonetti didn't say anything of any value in that interview.

Post
Tim Stebbins
@tim_stebbins
The Guardians will be rocking these St. Patrick’s Day hats tonight against the Reds.

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Could versatile Jakob Junis help Guardians' starting rotation in an emergency?

Updated: Mar. 17, 2025, 11:05 p.m.|Published: Mar. 17, 2025, 6:52 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — In 2005 the Indians played the entire season with basically five starting pitchers. Kevin Millwood, CC Sabathia, Jake Westbrook, Cliff Lee and Scott Elarton made all but four starts that year.

Those five starters each averaged 32 starts and 195 innings that season. Westbrook led the way with 34 starts and 210 2/3 innings. He had 30 decisions.

Last season the Guardians, formerly known as the Indians, used 14 starting pitchers. They totaled 805 innings compared to the 971 innings turned in by Westbrook, Millwood, Sabathia, Lee and Elarton.

While they don’t make starting pitchers like they used to in the big leagues, five durable starters would certainly put a smile on the face of Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations for the Guardians.

“Sign me up for that again,” Antonetti told reporters on Sunday at the team’s spring training site in Goodyear, Arizona, at the mention of the 2005 Indians.

The chances of that happening are unlikely — so unlikely that Antonetti and the front office spent the winter adding starters in all shapes and sizes.

They traded for Luis Ortiz and Slade Cecconi.
They brought in veterans Vince Velasquez and Kolby Allard on minor league deals.
They signed injured free agents Shane Bieber and John Means despite not knowing when they’ll be able to pitch for real.
And they signed Jakob Junis, who can do a little bit of everything on the mound. It is a quality that could go a long way with this pitching staff.

Junis pitched for the Brewers and Reds last year. He went 4-0 with a 2.69 ERA with six starts and one save.

He opened the year in the Brewers' rotation, but injured his right shoulder in his first start on April 2. He was activated on June 22 and traded to the Reds at the deadline. He made five of his last six appearances with Cincinnati as a starter.

The Guardians signed Junis to a one-year $4.5 million deal on Feb. 16. If there is such a thing as a utility pitcher, that’s what the Guardians want from Junis.

“We’re looking at Jakob mostly as a reliever,” said manager Stephen Vogt. “He’s also had a track record as starting in the bullpen and working his way into the rotation.

“With Jakob, he just wants to pitch. That’s what I really appreciate about him. He says I’m happy with any role I have, I just want to pitch. Those are fun guys to have.”

Junis has pitched in 192 big-league games, including 116 as a starter. In his first six years in the big leagues, he made 106 starts in 141 appearances with Kansas City and San Francisco from 2017 through 2022.

He has pitched mostly out of the bullpen since, but as he showed with the Reds last year, he can still start if needed. Last season he struck out 51 and walked eight in 67 innings.

“There are a lot of positives in coming here,” said Junis, when asked why he signed with Cleveland. “This is a good team. A very underrated team. I don’t think they get enough credit for how good they’ve been over the years.

“All those playoff runs, winning the division and whatnot. They’ve got a real good reputation of developing pitchers as well. That’s something that resonates with me. I want to constantly keep getting better and I think these guys can help me do that.”

As for his role, Junis said “I’m going to start in the bullpen and be a guy who can go one, two, three innings. I’ll be the bridge to the starters to the back-end guys.”

When asked about starting, Junis, 32, said, “At this point of my career, I think I bring value as a guy who can do a little bit of everything. I can throw one, two and three innings out of the bullpen. I can fill in as a starter when needed. I’ve gotten a couple of saves over the last few years. So I’ve done a little bit of everything.”

The Guardians signed Junis and Paul Sewald to help their talented, but overworked bullpen from last year. That will be Junis' first responsibility, but a six-month season almost always presents opportunities for emergency starts in case of injuries or rainouts.

It is why Antonetti, Vogt and their staffs are meeting daily not only to pick a pitching staff for the Guardians, but also for Triple-A Columbus and Double-A Akron. They want to make sure they aren’t caught shorthanded like last year.

Junis could help in that regard. After all, he’s done it before.

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Guardians’ Tanner Bibee throws six scoreless innings, eyes opening-day start, in 3-0 win over Reds

Published: Mar. 18, 2025, 12:05 a.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Tanner Bibee looked ready to open the regular season in just his second Cactus League start on Monday night at Goodyear Ballpark.

Bibee threw six scoreless innings as the Guardians beat former Guardians manager Terry Francona and the Reds, 3-0, on a combined one-hitter. Lefty Joey Cantillo followed Bibee with two scoreless innings, while Paul Sewald worked the ninth for his first save of the spring.

The Guardians have slow-played Bibee this spring coming off his career season last year in which he made 31 starts and pitched 173 2/3 innings. In the postseason, Bibee made four more starts.

Bibee’s only other Cactus League start came on March 6 when he threw three scoreless innings in a 4-0 win over the Arizona. The rest of the spring, Bibee has been throwing on the back fields in minor league games.

Last week manager Stephen Vogt wouldn’t name Bibee as his opening day starter against Kansas City on March 27. Yet the 26-year-old right-hander is in line to do just that. If his next spring start is Sunday against the Padres, Bibee will be on schedule to face the Royals.

Carlos Santana’s third tour with the Guardians has been a quiet one until Monday night. Santana, who entered the game hitting .097 (3 for 31), hit a two-run double in the first inning for the only runs Bibee needed.

Steven Kwan worked Reds lefty Andrew Abbott for a leadoff walk to start the first. Lane Thomas beat out an infield hit to third with Kwan going first to third on Jeimer Candelaria’s wild throw to first.

Santana delivered them both with a double to the wall in left center.

Austin Hedges made it 3-0 with a two-out homer in the seventh. It was Hedges' second homer of the spring.

The Guardians have thrown three shutouts this spring with Bibee starting two of them.

The Guards are 1-1 against the Reds this spring. They opened the Cactus League season against Cincinnati on Feb . 22 with a 6-3 loss. Francona, who managed the Guardians for 11 years, was not in the dugout that day. He managed a B game against the Brewers in Phoenix because he didn’t want the attention to be on him.

Francona, the winningest manager in Cleveland history, was in the dugout Monday night.

While the Reds were held to one hit, the Guardians managed only four. The game lasted 1 hour and 52 minutes.

Cincinnati’s only hit was by Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who doubled with one out in the second. Bibee (2-0), who struck out four and walked one, retired the next two batters. Bibee threw 66 pitches, 42 for strikes.

Bibee is the only Guardians starter to pitch six innings this spring.

Next:

The Guardians will play the Rangers on Tuesday at 9:05 p.m. EDT at Surprise, Arizona. RHP Luis Ortiz (0-3, 12.66) will start for the Guardians, while right-hander Tyler Mahle (2-1, 3.00) starts for the Rangers. MLB Network will carry the game.

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