Could Guardians Turn This Starter Into A Bullpen Weapon?

Triston McKenzie has started coming out of the bullpen for the Cleveland Guardians' minor league affiliate.

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Triston McKenzie (24) throws during the first inning of the Cleveland Guardians' home opener against the Chicago White Sox, Monday, April 8, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Cleveland Guardians were expecting Triston McKenzie to play a key role in their rotation at the beginning of the season. Yes, he missed the vast majority of 2023 with injuries, but he looked like the team's ace in 2022 and insisted that he had a successful offseason ramping back up for major league game activity.

However, McKenzie's season took many unexpected and unfortunate turns. He posted a 5.11 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP over 16 starts as he lost all sense of command, and the team ended up optioning him to Triple-A Columbus on June 30.

Sticks' story may not be over, though. McKenzie has started appearing in a different role for the Columbus Clippers as the one-time starter has started coming out of the bullpen as a multi-innings arm.

McKenzie has made two relief appearances in September. He's pitched a combined 5.2 innings in this role and has given up just two hits, no runs, issued two walks, and struck out six batters in those two games.

Jun 4, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Triston McKenzie (24) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

Yes, this is an extremely small sample size, but it's still progress and something to build off of for a pitcher who's seemingly fought an uphill battle all year long.

Sticks also has the perfect pitch mix to be a bullpen weapon. His fastball can easily reach the mid- to upper 90s, and his curveball has excellent break when it is on point.

If McKenzie can prove he can succeed in this role, it could be path back to the big league roster.

This wouldn't be the first time a struggling starter made this massive career change and found success. Hunter Gaddis had a 7.68 ERA and a 1.526 WHIP over nine career starts heading into the season. Now, he's one of the best relievers on the Guardians and one of the top set-up guys in baseball.

Looking back even further then this, Carlos Carrasco entered the league as a starting pitcher, and then faced adversity which forced him into the bullpen. This is where Cookie found comfort in only pitching from the stretch and got himself back into a groove.

In this case, this newfound confidence as a relief pitcher elevated Carrasco back to the rotation as one of the top pitchers in Cleveland's rotation in the late 2010s.

More data, stats, and appearances as a reliever are needed to determine whether the organization should continue pursuing this with McKenzie. But that doesn't stop it from being an intriguing topic to discuss as the pitcher tries to make his way back into the majors.