Shawn Armstrong Returns For Guardians, Activated Off Injured List on Monday

Just yesterday, Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt was uncertain on when veteran reliever Shawn Armstrong would be healthy enough to return to the major league roster.

"He's doing well," Vogt said just hours before the Guardians walloped the Cincinnati Reds at home. "Yeah, so we're kind of day-to-day with what the next steps are for him...He threw, he played catch yesterday, and today he's going to do a light touch and feel on the mound just to see where he's at, and then we'll be able to make a determination of what the next steps are post-game."

But on Monday, May 18, the coaching staff was dealt a nice wave of good news, as Armstrong was activated off the 15-day injured list. The 35-year-old veteran reliever had been off the diamond since late April due to a right groin strain.

Shawn Armstrong has been activated off the injured list, and in a corresponding move, Codi Heuer has been optioned to Triple-A Columbus.#GuardsBall
— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) May 18, 2026

Fortunately, after beginning his rehab assignment back on Tuesday of last week, he made enough progress that the Guardians felt that he was ready enough to return.

While he will certainly be monitored and eased back in, just to ensure that he doesn't re-aggravate it, Cleveland is definitely going to be happy to have one of their late-game, high-leverage arms back in the bullpen.

Cleveland #Guardians RHP Shawn Armstrong tossed a scoreless inning of relief tonight striking out one Chesapeake batter for Akron making his second rehab appearance.

Line - 1.0(IP) 1H 0R 0ER 0BB 1SO

(9 Pitches 8 Strikes)

Armstrong topped out at 94 mph.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/HcNZMp5JHf
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) May 16, 2026

Armstrong's 2026 Campaign

There were a few small bumps in the road as he settled into Cleveland's bullpen, but Armstrong has shown that he has what it takes to be a staple for a young squad.

Across 10.2 innings pitched, Armstrong has tossed a 4.22 ERA and 1.41 WHIP, all while sporting a .205 batting average against. While he has allowed a few deep shots, he has kept the traffic on the base paths low.

Of the five runs he has given up this season, including both home runs, he has only allowed runs in just three games. The rest of his nine appearances have been relatively clean outings.

When he returns and makes his first appearance back on the mound, expect to see that sharp relief play that he displayed last season with the Texas Rangers.

He may not immediately jump back into a setup role, especially with the emergence of Colin Holderman and Erik Sabrowski in that spot, he will still be an important piece for the Guardians out of the pen.

The Corresponding Move: Codi Heuer Optioned

Unfortunately, for Heuer, after just getting promoted to the big leagues, he has already been sent back down to Triple-A. To free up space for Armstrong, the front office picked Heuer out of the bunch to move off the major league roster.

In his one appearance, which came on Sunday, May 17, he pitched through 2.0 innings of action. He struck out two batters, allowed three hits and walked one, giving up one earned run in the process.

He will return to the minors with a 4.50 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and .375 batting average against in his first big-league stint with the Guardians.

This likely won't be the last time that the 29-year-old gets a shot to play at Progressive Field this season, but for now, Cleveland will continue to test the waters with some of the veterans they invested contracts in this past offseason.

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