Injuries & Moves: Kwan to miss about 4 weeks; Hentges activated
LATEST NEWS
May 6: 1B Kyle Manzardo selected from Triple-A Columbus; OF Steven Kwan (acute left hamstring strain) placed on 10-day IL, retroactive to May 5; LHP Sam Hentges activated from 15-day IL; RHP Peter Strzelecki optioned to Triple-A Columbus
Manzardo, who was acquired in last summer's trade with the Rays involving Aaron Civale, is ranked by MLB Pipeline as Cleveland's No. 2 prospect and No. 52 overall. The 23-year-old has done nothing but mash at the highest level of the Minors, hitting .303 with a 1.017 OPS and nine homers in 29 games at Columbus this year. Kwan, who led the AL with a .353 average at the time of his injury, is projected to miss approximately four weeks.
Strzelecki was recalled on Friday and made his third appearance of the season that night, working two scoreless frames against the Angels. Hentges had been sidelined since March with swelling in his left middle finger.
May 2: RHP Gavin Williams (right elbow discomfort) cleared to begin throwing after week shut down
Williams was reevaluated on Wednesday by Dr. Jason Genin after needing to receive an anti-inflammatory injection last week and was cleared to begin throwing. Williams threw for the first time on Thursday without pain.
"[He's] on the road back," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said, "which is good to hear."
10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST
OF Steven Kwan (acute left hamstring strain)
Expected return: Early June
An MRI revealed that Kwan, who was injured while making a play in the outfield on May 4, will miss approximately four weeks. Kwan paced the American League in batting average at .353 and had gone an MLB-best 74 consecutive plate appearances without striking out at the time of his injury. (Last updated: May 6)
RHP Eli Morgan (right shoulder inflammation)
Expected return: Early May
Morgan was placed on the 15-day IL on April 17 due to right shoulder inflammation. He pitched in nine games, posting a 2.16 ERA over 8 1/3 innings. Manager Stephen Vogt said that with the workload Morgan has had, he didn’t feel like himself. He began his rehab assignment on May 4 and struck out the side in a scoreless inning. (Last updated: May 5)
RHP Gavin Williams (right elbow discomfort)
Expected return: June
Williams made his three-inning start in Arizona to begin his rehab process, but he felt the same discomfort in his elbow after the outing that he did in Spring Training. He flew to Cleveland to meet with the medical staff and received external opinions. It was determined that receiving an anti-inflammatory injection on April 24 would be the best path forward. He was shut down for seven days after that before he was cleared by Dr. Jason Genin to begin throwing. He threw on May 2 with no pain.
This began in the middle of Spring Training when Williams made an awkward throw during his weighted-ball workout and felt discomfort in his throwing elbow. (Last updated: May 2)
60-DAY IL
RHP James Karinchak (right shoulder fatigue)
Expected return: At least the end of May
Karinchak reported to camp with right shoulder fatigue. He was given the green light to begin a throwing program on March 11 and joined the big league team on April 25 to work with the Guardians' training staff. Assuming all goes well, his rehab assignment will be in the near future. Because he opened the year on the 60-day IL, he'll need to wait until at least the end of May before he can return to game action. (Last updated: April 25)
INF Angel Martínez (fractured hamate)
Expected return: Late May or June
Martinez was transferred to the 60-day IL on April 17 with a fractured hamate. On April 17, he submitted a surgical intervention with Dr. Thomas Graham at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Bethlehem, Pa. (Last updated: April 17)
RHP Shane Bieber (right elbow injury)
Expected return: 2025
Bieber was transferred to the 60-day IL on April 10, and there's no return in sight for Cleveland's ace. He wasn't bouncing back as well as he is used to after his Opening Day start and elbow pain persisted throughout his outing in Seattle.
Bieber underwent imaging that revealed the same problems with his UCL that he had last year. He underwent UCL surgery on April 12. He'll report to Goodyear, Ariz., to begin his rehab. (Last updated: April 13)
RHP Trevor Stephan (UCL surgery)
Expected return: 2025
When Stephan's elbow was examined for discomfort on Feb. 28, a deep bone bruise was discovered. But after it continued to nag him, other opinions were needed. It was determined that his UCL is not providing adequate stability, which caused even more pain in the elbow. He underwent surgery on March 27 and was given a 12 to 16 month timetable for recovery. (Last updated: March 28)