Guardians Receive Deflating Injury News on Top Pitching Prospect

The Cleveland Guardians have received some rough injury news on one of their most impressive pitching prospects.

Florida pitcher Franco Aleman (35) delivers the ball to the plate against Alabama during the SEC Tournament Thursday, May 27, 2021, in the Hoover Met in Hoover, Alabama. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.] Sec Tournament Alabama Vs Florida | Gary Cosby Jr. via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The Cleveland Guardians have become known as a pitching factory, and recently, much of their success has involved developing relievers.

Last season, the Guardians boasted one of the best bullpens in MLB history. and they rode it to an AL Central division title and an ALCS appearance.

Cleveland was hoping to add yet another electrifying arm to its stable of brilliant relief pitchers this coming season, as prospect Franco Aleman was paving his way to the majors.

Unfortunately, it's looking like Aleman's big-league debut is going to have to wait, as he is dealing with an injury that may require surgery.

Cleveland #Guardians RHP relief prospect Franco Aleman is likely dealing with an inguinal hernia. He had another appointment today to further evaluate the injury. He may need to undergo surgery.
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) February 26, 2025

The good news is that this isn't Aleman's arm, so it's not like this is career threatening, and he may even return at some point during the regular season.

The Guardians have yet to provide any sort of timeline on the injury, and we don't even know for sure if Aleman will be undergoing surgery at this point.

Regardless, this is obviously a disappointing development for the 23-year-old, who pitched to the tune of a 1.99 ERA while allowing just 14 hits and registering 34 strikeouts over 22.2 innings out of the bullpen in Triple-A last season.

Aleman owns a lifetime minor-league ERA of 4.25, but much of that came when he was flipping back and forth between starting and relieving earlier in his career. Since becoming a full-time reliever in 2023, Aleman has been brilliant, and he boasts a lifetime average of 13 punchouts per nine innings.

The University of Florida product has terrific stuff, and it will be exciting when he eventually does make his official Guardians debut.

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