One Injury the Cleveland Guardians Can’t Afford Besides José Ramírez

The Guardians are heading into the 2026 campaign with plenty of expectations of finding success, but a lot of how the team's results end up going will be determined by the starting pitching rotation.

Feb 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The 2026 MLB regular season is finally upon us, and with that, players will begin putting it all on the line to lead their respective teams to success.

And as the Cleveland Guardians begin their path towards winning another American League Central, all eyes will be on José Ramírez and his ability to surge this team to victory game-in and game-out. However, fortunately, for the first time in what feels like forever, the Guardians finally have a few extra bodies to help him out.

The Guardians front office has quietly assembled a roster capable of taking pressure off Ramírez, with many of them being talented prospects, offering a more balanced lineup and pitching staff that can carry them through the ebbs and flows of a season.

As the team slowly ramps up the intensity, outside of Ramírez, there are a few players Cleveland cannot afford to lose as the year continues to trot along.

One player's absence that could be the most detrimental to the team is starting pitcher Gavin Williams, who's entering a potential breakout season.

“In the three years I've known Gavin, I've never seen him this focused or determined. He had a tremendous offseason,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “The last few months [of 2025], I don't think we could have drawn up a better stretch than what Gavin Williams did for us.

"I’m really thrilled to see him come in ready to go. But there is a different determination about him. He wants to be one of the best. He knows he's one of the best, and that's a really good feeling for us.”

Last season, the 26-year-old Williams was one of the most impressive pitchers on the mound for Cleveland. He pitched a 3.06 ERA with a 1.270 WHIP across 31 starts and 167.2 innings of action. He also performed very well in the strikeout department, averaging just over one per inning.

After the All-Star break is where he truly thrived, tossing a near 2.0 ERA with him playing some of his best baseball.

Heading into a new season with confidence and momentum, many were expecting the Guardians to name Williams the ace. However, they have seemed to give that role to Tanner Bibee, while still not officially, over Williams.

Either way, even if Williams ends up taking over the job, any sort of setback for him would drastically alter his timeline of development and growth.

In 2026, to fully get the most out of his new pitch, a sinker, and continue to become an even better starting pitcher, he will need to stay healthy for most of the season. After all, when asked about some of his benchmarks he had set for the upcoming year, Williams highlighted playing over 31 games and surpassing 200 innings pitched.

“I think we've seen Gavin grow tremendously as well,” Guardians pitching coach Carl Willis said, "and become somewhat of a different type of leader, a quiet leader. He controls his emotions very well. He's very stoic. There's still a decent amount of upside there for Gavin from what we saw last year.”

Now, if for some reason Williams took a hit and had to be out for a little bit, Cleveland wouldn't be in unfamiliar hands. They would likely turn to the bulk of the time over to Bibee and Slade Cecconi, while Logan Allen, Joey Cantillo and Parker Messick would anchor the rotation.

The Guardians will hope that the pitching staff can elevate it's success from last season and become one of the more reliable groups in MLB.