Stick a fork in Triston McKenzie, he’s done. Last night, the former Cleveland Guardians 1st round draft pick went 2 1/3 innings pitched against division rival Kansas City Royals. This marked the third start in a row that the right-hander has failed to make it past the third inning. With other options out there, it is time for the Guardians to shut down Triston McKenzie long-term, possibly for the season.
Triston McKenzie felt like his pitches were good tonight, but says he fell behind guys and wasn’t able to catch up. #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/GSNG22oIVM
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) June 29, 2024
McKenzie’s elbow injury has been well-documented throughout baseball. He missed most of the 2023 season with a partially torn ligament in his pitching elbow. The 6-foot-5 righty chose to rehab the elbow instead of getting surgery. With McKenzie being completely ineffective, what should the Guardians do?
Stephen Vogt talks about Triston McKenzie’s outing tonight and says his command is the biggest issue.
He also credits the team for playing as hard, and says they’re still playing good ball even though tonight’s results don’t reflect that. #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/uwtpGHuLCJ
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) June 29, 2024
Can the Guardians Shut Down Triston McKenzie?
Gavin Williams has been rehabbing with Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus. Williams is set to be activated today from the 60-day injured list. A corresponding move will be made with the activation. Despite McKenzie’s claims that he is healthy, something is wrong. If there is any injury here, the Guardians need to place McKenzie on the IL and move Williams into the rotation.
Williams has not been exactly stellar during his rehab stint, but he has been serviceable. Williams went five innings and 66 pitches while with Akron. Despite an ERA of 4.76 through six rehab starts, he chewed up innings. Williams also has twenty strikeouts through 17 innings in rehab. These numbers aren’t exciting, but they are stellar when compared to McKenzie.
Another option is to send McKenzie down to Triple-A to work on his mechanics. According to Mandy Bell of MLB.com, McKenzie has one option left despite being in his fifth season with Cleveland. This would allow McKenzie to work through any issues he has if the underlying problems are not medically related. A minor league stint could also provide McKenzie with some confidence in his stuff that he is not getting at the big league level.
Cleveland Guardians Projected Rotation
Cleveland’s ace, Shane Bieber, has been out since April with season-ending Tommy John surgery. Logan Allen, Tanner Bibee, Carlos Carrasco, Ben Lively, and McKenzie have comprised the rotation for much of the season. If the Guardians want to hold on to their lead in the American League Central, McKenzie can’t be part of the rotation. Adding Williams back to the rotation and removing McKenzie is the obvious choice.
The final option is plugging Matthew Boyd into the lineup after signing a contract with the team earlier in the week. Boyd has been recovering from Tommy John surgery over the last year. Boyd has experience in the AL Central, after pitching with the Detroit Tigers for much of his career.
We have signed LHP Matthew Boyd.
Welcome to Cleveland, Matthew!#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/wOFiGNlLPJ
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) June 29, 2024
If Boyd can recreate what he did with Detroit, or at least get close, the Guardians’ rotation will get a much-needed bump. Boyd will need some time to get his pitch count up, but may see Cleveland sooner rather than later.
Photo Credit: © William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
