Guardians reliever Stephan to undergo elbow surgery

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The bad news keeps coming for Cleveland pitching.

After learning that prospect Daniel Espino again needed shoulder surgery and is expected to miss the 2024 season, the Guardians also found out reliever Trevor Stephan will have to undergo UCL reconstruction in the next 7-14 days. On top of that, the team now also knows Gavin Williams will start the year on the injured list (although all his MRI scans are clear).

Let's start with Stephan.

Stephan reported elbow discomfort at the beginning of camp. What was first reported as a deep bone bruise that shouldn't be of much concern turned into a nagging issue. Stephan visited with Dr. Keith Meister and Dr. Neal ElAttrache for more opinions and it was determined that Stephan's ulnar collateral ligament was not providing adequate stability, which caused more stress to his elbow.

"Trevor really wanted to find a way to pitch and stay active," Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said, "but as we got additional opinions from the various medical experts, they kind of reached the conclusion that it was probably in Trevor's best interest to get surgery now and that would put him in the best chance to be the best version of himself moving forward."

The Guardians have not yet given a timetable for Stephan's return, but it will be a lengthy process. James Karinchak is starting to build up soon, but he probably won't be ready by Opening Day. Sam Hentges hopes to avoid being the next to get bad news, but he'll be meeting with a local doctor to figure out why the middle finger on his left hand has been swollen. Plus, the Guardians had an open spot in the bullpen coming into camp before injuries got in the way.

Suddenly, there are a lot of holes to fill.

"I think we've continued to see over time that it's really hard to write anything in ink in a bullpen, and those just take time to evolve throughout the course of the season," Antonetti said. "I think what we're trying to focus on is how do we leave here with the best group of probably eight relievers that complement each other well, that can provide depth for starters, especially in the early season when they're not built up. Have the guys who can pitch when we're ahead, have guys that can go multiple innings. There's just a lot of things we'll have to weigh in."

Carlos Carrasco seems like an easy option to take one of the vacancies. Ben Lively could be another. Guys like Tim Herrin and Cade Smith will be in the running.

But here's where Williams comes into the mix. Now, someone like Xzavion Curry, Tyler Beede or Hunter Gaddis will likely have to move into the rotation until Williams is built up enough to reclaim his spot. Although the Guardians aren't expecting Williams to miss too much time since he should begin throwing in three or four days, it's time for a role that will need to be filled temporarily. Whoever doesn't win that job could move to the 'pen.

Stephan, 28, has pitched in the Majors for three seasons, all with the Guardians. After breaking out in 2022 with a 2.69 ERA in 66 games, the right-hander went 7-7 with a 4.06 ERA and two saves in 71 games last season. However, he's been one of the guys they've turned to the most in the late innings of games. Figuring out how to fill this role in Spring Training can be challenging, especially if Hentges also receives bad news.

Beyond knowing that Emmanuel Clase will work the ninth and Scott Barlow will probably precede him, the Guardians have a lot of things to sort out in just two weeks before Opening Day arrives.

"It's hard to replace somebody like Trevor," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "We feel like we have a number of arms in camp that can step up and take those leverage innings that he's provided for us over the last few years.

Anytime you get news like this, it's unfortunate and you feel for the individual, but as you're suggesting, we have to replace those innings and we do feel like we have a number of guys that can step up. Who that's going to be, we're still sorting out as camp unfolds, but we do feel like we have a number of candidates that can fill that role."