This lefty reliever makes much-needed return

This story was excerpted from Mandy Bell’s Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

It did not take the Guardians long to see how badly they’ve missed Sam Hentges.

The lefty reliever was out for the first month and a half of the regular season with left shoulder inflammation. He arrived at Spring Training healthy, began his usual buildup, pitched in one Cactus League game and then was shut down.

“It’s been frustrating," Hentges said. “I think just because I haven’t been able to be here and be around the guys.”

For the Guardians, it was even more frustrating to be without a reliever who became one of their most reliable arms last year.

In 2022, Hentges pitched to a 2.32 ERA with 72 strikeouts and 19 walks in 57 appearances (62 innings). He ranked in at least the 80th percentile in chase rate (80th), extension (80th), fastball velocity (81st), barrel percentage (81st), expected batting average (83rd), strikeout percentage (85th) and expected slugging (90th).

On top of being so consistent for Cleveland last year, Hentges is the only lefty in the bullpen. The Guardians opened this season with left-hander Tim Herrin, who replaced Hentges as the team’s sole southpaw until April 25, when he was optioned to Triple-A Columbus. For eight games, the Guardians then didn’t have a lefty to turn to in relief.

That ended on Saturday when Hentges made his way into his first big league game of the season, following a five-outing rehab stint in the Minors. The Guardians’ plan was to slowly work him back into the mix, but when the game was on the line against the Twins in the eighth inning and left-handed hitter Max Kepler coming to the plate, there was no way Cleveland was going to steer clear of him.

“I wasn’t expecting to pitch in the game,” Hentges said with a grin, “but, I mean, when you’re out throwing in the bullpen, you’re kind of ready for anything.”

The Guardians haven’t had the best success with their late-inning relievers recently. Closer Emmanuel Clase has lost a tick or two of velocity on his heater, James Karinchak is giving up more home runs than he has in years past and Trevor Stephan has already given up the same number of long balls this year (three) in 15 outings as he did last year in 66 appearances.

When Hentges got the ball with one out in the eighth, he recorded two quick strikeouts and took a walk back to Cleveland’s dugout.

“Sam coming in and looking like Sam, that was really welcomed,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said.

Kepler is no easy out, especially against the Guardians. And if Cleveland didn’t have a lefty reliever as an option in that moment, hanging on to a one-run lead, the outcome could’ve been different. He already homered earlier in the night and homered in the first game of the series. He’s hit more home runs against Cleveland than any other team he’s faced in his career.

“I faced him last year and a couple of years ago,” Hentges said. “Being the left-hander out there, it’s kind of my job to get the lefties out. And that’s just going through scouting reports. They do a really good job here of scouting reports and what a hitter likes and doesn’t like and just being able to attack them that way.”

Hentges got ahead 0-2 on Kepler. After a ball, he fanned him on a 96.1 mph sinker. And when Willi Castro walked to the plate, Hentges won the seven-pitch at-bat on an 81 mph curveball that ended in his second strikeout of the night.

“Getting him healthy and back out there was nice tonight,” Stephan said.

After more than two months of waiting, Hentges can finally enjoy being Cleveland’s go-to southpaw in high-leverage situations once again.

“It felt good,” Hentges said. “I was a little bit nervous, but I think that’s normal. But it felt great to be back out there, get the job done and help the team win.”