Injuries & Moves: Guards bolster pitching depth with Ortiz, two lefties

Injuries & Moves: Guards bolster pitching depth with Ortiz, two lefties

December 11th, 2024

This page will be updated throughout the offseason to track all of the Guardians' moves, along with the progress of any injured players.

LATEST NEWS

Dec. 11: Guardians re-sign free agent RHP to one-year contract with player option
Bieber wasn't expected to be back in Cleveland after the 2024 season, but after a season-ending elbow surgery in April, it made sense for the former AL Cy Young winner to come back to the only organization he's ever known to get healthy. He can use the '25 season to prove his procedure didn't cause any regression on the field and he can then decide if he wants to test the free-agent market again next winter. More >>

Dec. 10: Guardians add RHP , LHP , LHP , OF Nick Mitchell in trades with Pirates and Blue Jays; lose 2B , RHP
The Guardians made two separate trades to bring in some starting pitching depth. Ortiz is expected to be immediately added to Cleveland's Major League rotation, while Hartle and Kennedy are a few years away from their expected debuts. But the Guardians couldn't have gotten this trio from Pittsburgh without first making a trade with Toronto. Cleveland sent Giménez and Sandlin to the Blue Jays for Mitchell and infielder Spencer Horwitz. But Horwitz was only a Guardian for a few hours before he was used to bring back the hurlers in a trade with the Pirates. More >>

Nov. 25: OF rejoins Guardians on Minor League deal
Valera was designated for assignment before he was officially non-tendered in order to make his 40-man roster spot available. The Guardians subsequently re-signed him to a Minor League contract. Valera is recovering from right knee surgery with a recovery timetable that would have him able to play again sometime between March and June. More >>

Nov. 22: Guardians avoid arbitration with LHP , RHP and RHP ; tender contracts to 1B , OF , OF and RHP
As expected, the Guardians tendered all of their arbitration-eligible players. Hentges, McKenzie and Lively all agreed to one-year contracts in order to avoid arbitration. Naylor, Thomas, Kwan, Sandlin and Karinchak have until Jan. 9 to work out a contract with the Guardians before having to exchange arbitration figures.

The Guardians had already designated Minor League OF George Valera and RHP Connor Gillispie for assignment earlier this week. They were officially non-tendered on Friday.

Nov. 22: RHP traded to the Pirates for cash considerations
Strzelecki, who had been designated for assignment earlier in the week, was traded to Pittsburgh in exchange for cash. Strzelecki made 10 appearances at the big league level this year and owned a 2.31 ERA in the small sample size.

• All Guardians transactions

INJURY UPDATES

UTL (right elbow surgery)
Expected return: Summer 2025
Fry underwent elbow surgery on Oct. 30 to repair a ligament in his throwing elbow. He'll be able to get back as a designated hitter in six to eight months, but he'll need more time to be healthy enough to throw as a position player. The Guardians expect him to return to those activities in roughly 12 months, which would be after the '25 season. (Last updated: Nov. 4)

RHP (right shoulder capsule and rotator cuff injury; No. 10 on Guardians' Top 30 Prospects list)
Expected return: 2025
Espino underwent surgery to repair his right shoulder capsule and rotator cuff injuries on March 13. He stayed in Goodyear, Ariz., to work through his rehab. (Last updated: Oct. 20)

LHP (left shoulder injury)
Expected return: 2026
After spending parts of August and September getting a handful of opinions from different doctors, Hentges determined that the best route was surgery. He was scheduled to repair an injury to his left capsule and labrum on Sept. 18 and the recovery window is expected to be 12-14 months, which likely means he'll miss all of the 2025 season. (Last updated: Sept. 11)

RHP (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.

Stephan underwent surgery on March 27 and was given a 12- to 16-month timetable for recovery. (Last updated: March 28)

• More injury news