Guardians Get Update on Shawn Armstrong's Recovery From Groin Strain

The Cleveland Guardians have been without Shawn Armstrong for nearly a month, losing him to the injured list with a groin strain.

Mar 30, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Shawn Armstrong (43) throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Back on April 26, the Cleveland Guardians placed reliever Shawn Armstrong on the injured list with a right groin strain.

The right-handed pitcher had been one of the Guardians' high-leverage arms, with his injury paving the way for Colin Holderman's return to the major league roster. Since then, Holderman has looked sharp, playing in the eighth inning from time to time, pushing his season ERA down to under a 2.0.

As Armstrong begins to trend the right direction, recovering slowly but surely, Cleveland may have found a one-two punch in the setup spot behind closer Cade Smith.

Shawn Armstrong's Recovery From Injury

Armstrong's groin issue came out of nowhere.

During the Guardians' series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays just a few weeks back, he began warming up in the eighth inning, preparing to go into the game in the ninth inning. But when he got back up to stretch out a bit more in between the innings, he felt something was wrong.

Eventually, he was placed on the 15-day injured list.

After being off the diamond for quite a bit of time, especially for a high-leverage reliever, the Guardians sent him down to begin the rehab process in Double-A Akron. With the Rubberducks, on Tuesday, May 12, he ended up going through one inning.

Mar 28, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Cleveland Guardians reliever Shawn Armstrong (43) delivers a pitch during the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

While he looked like he had recovered well, his production wavered slightly. He allowed one hit, one walk and one run, striking out two batters along the way.

However, a major league coaching staff and front office isn't going to be worried if he gives up some knocks or runs to a Double-A squad. Armstrong is a veteran and has consistently produced at the big league level for 12 seasons.

If anything, they are just watching him to see if that groin strain is still affecting him at all.

A Path Ahead For Armstrong

He is likely looking at one to two more outings at the Double-A level before he gets back to Cleveland's bullpen. This will allow him to fully get used to being back on the mound.

With him not pitching since April 21, he can be activated at any time. The only thing the front office will have to plan for is which corresponding move they will make.

Due to Holderman's strong play in his place, Cleveland will likely not send him back down to Triple-A. Instead, they will probably evaluate both Matt Festa and Codi Heuer to see which player doesn't fit the current role that the major league bullpen is looking to see.

Armstrong is expected to be back in the next week or so if his rehab continues to go well.