CLEVELAND — A Triple-A roster can be a smattering of players from a variety of career paths and situations all grouped into one clubhouse.
There are prospects still building toward their dream of reaching the major leagues for the first time. There might be All-Stars just passing through for a few days as they make rehab appearances after an injury. Perhaps, sprinkled in, are a few major league veterans trying to earn their ticket back to the big leagues.
The Guardians have a few notable players in that last category who have might finish the season in Triple-A Columbus. Or, they might be able to help the Guardians in September in what is shaping up to be a tight American League Central race , especially considering rosters expand from 26 to 28 players on Sept. 1.
The Guardians will be able to add one position player and one pitcher once the calendar rolls around to September. Joey Cantillo , who is expected to be added as the 27th man for Monday's doubleheader with the Kansas City Royals , will be a top option for one of those spots. Anthony Gose would need to be added to the 40-man roster again, but he'll also be a possible option.
On the position player side, Angel Martinez might earn his way back to Cleveland. No. 2 prospect Chase DeLauter only recently played his first Triple-A game, but he'd make for a notable promotion. Kyle Manzardo could add another left-handed hitting option off the bench.
But after that group, and perhaps a few other players who are possibilities, the Guardians have a number of players who have played key roles in the majors in their recent past trying to get the phone call to make the trip back up I-71 to Cleveland.
Triston McKenzie is the most notable player in that group, especially with Alex Cobb and Carlos Carrasco still on the injured list.
But McKenzie, who was optioned to Triple-A due to walk and command issues (which also led to a league-leading home run allowed rate), hasn't had the most encouraging stint in Columbus.
In eight starts in the minor leagues, McKenzie has a 5.80 ERA with 42 strikeouts and 26 walks in 35⅔ innings. His ERA and walk/9 rate (6.6) are both worse than the numbers he had in the majors (5.11 ERA, 5.8 BB/9 rate) before being optioned.
He's had some promising stretches, but not the consistency needed to earn enough trust to be thrown into the mix for major league starts during the team's playoff push.
"It continues to be a work in progress for Triston," president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. "We're trying to continue to help support him to be more consistent with his pitch execution in the strike zone and the quality of his pitches. He's had outings in Triple-A where we've seen meaningful strides, and he's had others where it hasn't been as consistent, and I think what we're hoping to do is continue to work with Triston to build on that consistency."
The possibility does exist with McKenzie and several other pitchers that a move to the bullpen in September could be an avenue to promotion as well. McKenzie will certainly continue to pitch as a starter, but a pitcher moving into a bullpen role once rosters expand is commonplace as teams look to bolster their rosters.
"That could be an option," Antonetti said, speaking of McKenzie and some others. "I mean, at this point in the year, you want to keep all options on the table and not close any doors."
Logan Allen appears to be the veteran starter closer to helping the Guardians in Cleveland. Allen is being promoted to the majors Monday before the doubleheader with the Royals. The question is if he'll stay there.
Allen has 5.56 ERA in the majors. In six Triple-A starts, he has a 4.55 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 31⅔ innings.
While McKenzie focuses on his command, Allen and Cantillo appear to be the top options to help the rotation piece things together to at least some extent, but that will be dependent on how they pitch in the short run.
Myles Straw could offer the Guardians some value as a defensive/base-running specialist for late in games, but at this point it appears that is the veteran outfielder's best-case scenario.
Straw, who is signed through the 2026 season with club options for 2027 and 2028 , didn't make the Opening Day roster and has spent the entire season in Triple-A. The Guardians worked with Straw over the offseason to "impact the ball" more, and the results haven't followed.
With Triple-A Columbus, Straw is hitting just .243 with a .660 OPS. He can play Gold Glove-level center field, and he's 22 for 23 on stolen base attempts, potentially offering the Guardians some utility off the bench.
"Myles continues to work on a lot of the same things we talked about in spring training, which is continuing to evolve as an offensive player and get back to impacting the game offensively," Antonetti said. "And that means getting on base, driving balls to the gaps for extra-base hits and, when he's on base, stealing bases, and that continues to be a work in progress for him."
The possibility of Sam Hentges pitching again in 2024 seems to be low and dwindling.
Hentges has been on the injured list since July 12 with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. He's now in the process of seeking a third opinion on how to proceed, with a number of options on the table, according to Antonetti.
With Hentges out, Tim Herrin has filled a key role as a left-handed reliever in the Guardians' league-best bullpen. If Hentges is out the rest of the year, Anthony Gose could be added as a second lefty reliever.
Some teams around the league might opt to call up a catcher on Sept. 1. With the Guardians already having Bo Naylor , Austin Hedges and David Fry on the roster, that won't be necessary.
It's why Straw as an option off the bench might make some sense. Or, they could call up some additional utility with either Angel Martinez or Gabriel Arias .
Arias has been crushing Triple-A pitching, hitting .346 with a .984 OPS in 104 at-bats, and he'd offer Cleveland defensive flexibility almost all over the diamond.
Before being sent down, Guardians hitting coaches (along with front office members and Triple-A coaches) all sat down to outline a plan with some swing changes they thought might be the key to unlocking his swing. But making those changes required Arias heading to Triple-A. It's possible he could earn his way back to Cleveland soon, depending on how they want to construct their expanded roster.
"Rewinding to the time he was [in the majors], we felt there were some mechanical adjustments Gabby could make with his swing that would benefit him," Antonetti said. "Making those adjustments at the major league level are really difficult, and that's why we made the decision we did. … And to his credit, he's putting in a lot of work."
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians could promote McKenzie, Straw as rosters expand
