Guardians Activate Reliever Andrew Walters off 15-Day IL, Option To Triple-A

The Cleveland Guardians returned some late-game help off the injured list, activating reliever Andrew Walters.

Oct 12, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Andrew Walters (63) and catcher Bo Naylor (23) talk on the mound in the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers during game five of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians have activated another body from the injured list.

On Sunday, May 17, the Guardians announced that reliever Andrew Walters was set to be activated off the 15-day IL, following a lengthy stint of injury. He had suffered an injury back in 2025, requiring lat surgery.

Just a few weeks ago, he had begun a rehab assignment down in Triple-A Columbus, but it had to be paused due to an illness. He finally returned back to the field on May 12, resuming his rehabilitation process, before being activated.

However, although he has been deemed good enough to pitch, Cleveland feels more comfortable placing him in the minors for a little bit. After activation, he was optioned to Triple-A Columbus to get his feet back underneath himself.

"Yeah, it's great to see, you know, you never want guys on the injured list," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt began. "And so for Andrew to be activated, it's a good thing. That means he's ready to pitch, and so we know Andrew's going to help us a ton when it's his turn.

"But with the illness, we need to get him pitching more and get built back up and be ready to do back-to-backs and one-pluses and things of that nature."

To see Walters come out on the positive end of such a tough couple of months is a great sign, especially because there's a real possibility that he sees major league action at some point in the 2026 campaign.

The 25-year-old made his big-league debut back in the 2024 season, posting a 1.04 ERA and 0.692 WHIP across 8.2 innings pitched. That season, he also saw time in postseason play.

Since then, though, he has only played in 20 innings of baseball across the majors and minors.

Injuries have derailed his development over the past two seasons, with 2026 expected to be an uphill climb for him to return to the form he showcased in 2024. It's not impossible for him to recover quickly and jump right back up to the big leagues, but Cleveland will want to be careful with his healing process.

With the Guardians maintaining a competitive persona this year, they'll likely need an arm like Walters' late in the season to help keep them stable when players get tired.

For now, he will get to work in Triple-A and slowly get himself back up to speed as Cleveland monitors when the best time will be to give him the nod.