Cleveland Has 'Tough Decisions' To Make With Their Starting Rotation
Injuries have been the main plot of the Cleveland Guardians' rotation through the first quarter of the season. Triston McKenzie never started the season, Aaron Civale went to the IL after two starts, and Peyton Battenfield just recently was diagnosed with should inflammation.
Thankfully, help is on the way and two of those starters should be back sooner than later. McKenzie and Civale have each made two rehab starts at Triple-A Columbus and the next time they pitch could very well be with the Big League team.
That's where the Guardians are going to have to make a tough decision.
Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee were each called up because of the injuries to the rotation, but have established themselves as true Major League pitchers.
Allen had an ERA of 3.12 heading into his seventh start of the season in Baltimore. Bibee has been just as sensational posting a 2.88 ERA and 34 strikeouts in just six starts.
So neither of them should leave the rotation.
The other option is to place Cal Qauntrill back into the bullpen once the team is fully healthy. He did come into Cleveland's organization as a reliever but worked to become a full-time starter.
Quantrill has not been as sharp as he looked in years past. He's made 10 starts posting a 4.75 ERA and 1.35 WHIP while struggling with command at times.
A realistic option on the table is a six-man starting rotation of Shane Bieber, McKenzie, Bibee, Allen, Civale, and Quantrill. This would keep the young pitchers' innings down and wouldn't put as much pressure on two starters returning from injury.
If this were to happen, there would still have to be a tough choice made. A reliever in the bullpen would have to be either DFA'd or optioned to Columbus. These roster construction moves are never easy and the organization realizes this.
Cleveland'spitching coach, Carl Willis, addressed these touch choices saying,
"Tough is a good word. The best answer I can give you is, tough enough where I still don't know we're really sure we know what we're going to do ... It's a great situation to be in to have the depth we have, you know the potential. But definitely, touch decisions are in front of us.
As difficult as it is to determine who should be starting, who should be in the bullpen, and who may have their role diminished, it's a great situation to be in. Other teams are searching for starting pitching, while the Guardians have a surplus of it.
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