Cleveland Guardians Baseball: Multiple Players Returning To The Field

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The Cleveland Guardians have been playing much better baseball since their rough 3-6 start to the season. Steven Kwan, Jose Ramirez, and Kyle Manzardo have done most of the heavy lifting for the offense, as the pitching has just gotten by. Even so, the club stands at 25-18, 3.5 games back of the first-place Detroit Tigers headed into play on 5/15. As the season goes into June, the Guardians may be receiving plenty of help on their way back from injuries.

Lane Thomas OF –

Thomas has been on the injured list since 4/22 with a bone bruise on his right wrist sustained in the home opener on April 8. Off to a very slow start, Thomas was hitting a measly .156/.188/.178 before his injury. He has been on a rehab assignment with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers since 5/13. The plan is to play one week of games and then go from there. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Thomas is “pain-free”. In two rehab games, Thomas has gone 0-6 with 2 K.

Slade Cecconi RHP –

Cecconi was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in December for Josh Naylor. In the previous two seasons in Arizona, he struggled to a 6.06 ERA in 104 IP. Cecconi also struggled mightily to a 16.88 ERA with 4 BB and 5 K in 5.1 IP this spring. Towards the end of spring training, he suffered a left oblique strain. Through three rehab starts with Triple-A Columbus, he has pitched to a 4.85 ERA in 13 IP. Cecconi is an option to replace the recently injured Ben Lively in the Guardians’ rotation.

David Fry DH –

In 2024, 27-year-old David Fry broke out, becoming an all-star in his first full season in MLB. After the season concluded, Fry underwent right UCL revision surgery and will not be able to play the field until the start of the 2026 season. Fry played in his first rehab game in the Arizona rookie league on 5/13 and looks to join the Guardians’ lineup at some point this summer.

Shane Bieber RHP –

The former Cy Young winner is recovering from April 2024 Tommy John surgery. He has started to throw bullpens as of early May and will continue to progress into throwing to live hitters in Arizona. He looks to rejoin the big league rotation towards the end of July, but will require multiple rehab starts before doing so.

John Means LHP –

Means signed a one-year contract with the Guardians this offseason for $1 million. Also rehabbing from Tommy John, Means is slightly behind Bieber in his rehab. He is progressing to throw from 120 feet, and is expected to start throwing bullpens sometime soon. The Guardians are hoping means can turn into last seasons Matthew Boyd, with a veteran lefty coming in at the end of the season and making an impact down the stretch.

Andrew Walters RHP –

Walters made his MLB debut at the end of last season, pitching very well out of the bullpen, not allowing a run in 9 appearances and 8.1 IP. Currently ranked Cleveland’s #11 prospect, Walters was shut down in mid-April with elbow inflammation. He was recently activated and has pitched in 2 games (5/10 & 5/13), giving up zero runs. The Guardians will be careful with Walters, but if he proves to be healthy, he should be in Cleveland very quickly.

Erik Sabrowski LHP –

Very similarly to Walters, Sabrowski made his MLB debut in September of 2024 and was impressive. In 12.2 IP in 8 games out of the bullpen, the lefty did not allow an earned run. Dealing with elbow inflammation in spring training, the Guardians’ #19 prospect was shut down from throwing. He recently suffered a setback at the end of April, but has resumed throwing since. He looks to start mound work soon, but the Guardians will be very careful with him, as he has already undergone Tommy John surgery twice in his career, at only 27 years old.

Chase DeLauter OF –

DeLauter has done nothing but produce on the field for the Guardians’ minor league affiliates since he was drafted. The only problem is that he hasn’t played much at all. In 100 career games, DeLauter has slashed .319/.389/.522 with an OPS of .911. This spring, DeLauter suffered an abdominal injury, requiring surgery. He has just begun a rehab assignment at rookie ball in Arizona, and through 4 games, he has picked up 3 hits to go along with 1 HR. If DeLauter can stay healthy, he will see the big leagues this season with the struggling platoon in RF of Jhonkensy Noel and Nolan Jones. The talent has always been there for the former first-round pick and current #52 overall prospect, now it is just about staying on the field.

Trevor Stephan RHP –

Stephan was a key piece in the Guardians’ bullpen from 2021-2023, sporting a 3.73 ERA through 195.2 IP in 180 games out of the Cleveland bullpen. He was rewarded with a 4-year, $10 million contract extension before the 2023 season. In spring training last season, Stephan underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the whole 2024 season. He is still recovering as he just threw live batting practice in Arizona in early May. He will require a lengthy rehab assignment before rejoining the MLB squad.

Paul Sewald RHP –

The veteran righty was signed by the Guardians this offseason to a one-year, $7 million contract. He struggled out of the gate, pitching to a 6.17 ERA in 11.2 IP. On 4/28, Sewald suffered an isolated high-grade right posterior deltoid strain. He will be checked every two weeks to monitor his progress, and his return to play is TBD.

Ben Lively RHP –

Lively left his most recent start on May 12th with right forearm tightness. Imaging revealed a right flexor tendon strain. RHP Zak Kent was recalled as Lively was placed on the injured list. His return date is TBD.

Others worth mentioning –

Franco Aleman RHP –

Aleman underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia during spring training. He has since rejoined the Columbus Clippers staff and made three appearances out of the bullpen, pitching to a 5.40 ERA through a very small sample size of 3.1 IP. Aleman was a candidate to break camp with the big league club before his injury, as last season he pitched to a 1.99 ERA in 22.2 IP. He could make his MLB debut with a strong start to his season at Columbus.

Sam Hentges LHP –

Hentges underwent left shoulder surgery about 8 months ago. He will miss the entire 2025 campaign as he continues to work through his throwing program.

Angel Genao INF –

The Guardians’ #4 prospect and #55 in MLB suffered a right shoulder sprain during spring training. He is expected to participate in simulated games soon and will make his season debut shortly after. What level Genao will be playing to start his season has yet to be determined, but wherever it will be, he will be getting everyday at-bats.

Jaison Chourio OF –

Jaison, brother of MLB star Jackson Chourio, suffered a right shoulder strain in May. It is considered mild, and he should return to game action by early June.

Juan Brito INF –

Brito suffered a right thumb sprain in late April that required surgery. He will rehab in Arizona, although he is not expected to return to action until late July-early August. With the demotion of SS Brayan Rocchio, it is easy to see a path for Brito to the bigs, especially if he had stayed healthy.

George Valera OF –

The Guardians’ former #1 prospect suffered a right knee injury towards the end of last season at Triple-A Columbus. He underwent a right patellar tendon repair surgery six months ago and has started baseball activities. He looks to begin games towards the end of May.

Nic Enright RHP –

Enright suffered a low-grade lat strain prior to spring training and just completed his rehab. This season at Triple-A Columbus, he has excelled, pitching to a 0.00 ERA in 6.1 IP. Enright is another potential option for the Cleveland bullpen, with him being on the 40-man roster.

Daniel Espino RHP –

Espino was drafted in the first round in 2019 and has struggled to stay on the field. In March of 2024, Espino underwent surgery to repair his right shoulder anterior capsule. He is currently throwing bullpens and will progress to live hitting sessions. He looks to rejoin the Columbus Clippers rotation sometime later in the season.

Travis Bazzana INF –

Bazzana was removed from the Akron RubberDucks game on 5/14. He was seen holding his side as he walked off the field. He is not in the lineup on 5/15, and there have been no updates from the Guardians organization or the RubberDucks about his status going forward.

Sources – https://www.mlb.com/news/guardians-injuries-and-roster-moves

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/franco-aleman-680916?stats=career-r-pitching-milb

https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects

https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/guardians

About Post Author

Michael Bodzenta

Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, I fell in love with sports from a young age. Whether I was playing them throughout high school or in the yard with my friends, I knew I had found something I loved. Watching them was also a main part of my childhood, as I could name almost every player on all three Cleveland sports teams. Talking about sports is something I can do for hours, so as I got older, I quickly realized that I knew what I wanted to do. I started writing about sports and talking about sports in high school. It was fun and easy for me. My dream goal would be to become baseball analyst, covering breaking news and other stories in the sport. I've written numerous articles about sports including the Browns and the Guardians. I currently write for Kent Wired, where I expanded my knowledge to cover Health and Fitness. I have experience with Adobe Photoshop, Premier, and Audition. I work as the social media manager/representative for the Kent State Club Baseball team creating graphics mostly on Instagram and some on Twitter (X) . The goal of this is to get more engagement for the team, create awareness, and raise money. I also currently coach for a 17u travel baseball organization (Midwest Stars) out of Hudson, Ohio. Through this I have been able to continue my love for the game, give back to the community, and strengthen my leadership qualities. My passion for sports especially baseball remains unquestioned and I strive to continue to report on something I love.

mbodzent@kent.edu

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