Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie has been diagnosed with a strain of the teres major muscle in his throwing shoulder, the club announced. He’ll be shut down from throwing for at least two weeks before being reevaluated. The club indicated he could be out of MLB action for as much as two months, though that seems to be at the more pessimistic end of the possible timetable.
McKenzie was yanked from yesterday’s Spring Training start after one inning because of arm discomfort. The club sent him for an MRI which revealed the strain that necessitates the shutdown. He’ll obviously open the season on the 15-day injured list, with his eventual timetable dictated by his reevaluation a couple weeks from now. Even if he’s cleared to resume throwing at first check, he’ll have to restart a throwing program and build his way back into game shape.
It’s an unfortunate blow for Cleveland a few days from the start of the season. McKenzie has somewhat quietly broken through as one of the sport’s most effective pitchers. He threw 191 1/3 innings over 31 appearances last year, pitching to a 2.96 ERA. The 6’5″ hurler punched out an above-average 25.6% of batters faced while keeping his walks down to a stellar 5.9% clip. He generated swinging strikes on a very strong 13% of his offerings.
McKenzie had been slated to team with Shane Bieber and Cal Quantrill to form an excellent trio at the front of the rotation. Bieber and Quantrill will likely be followed by Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale, with the final rotation spot now a question. Righty Hunter Gaddis and left-hander Konnor Pilkington each made their MLB debuts last season and hold 40-man roster spots. They could battle for the fifth starter role in McKenzie’s absence, particularly with righty Cody Morris also on the shelf due to teres major soreness of his own.
Missing him for two months would be a massive blow. Hopefully he can come back strong but shoulders always seem to be pretty tricky for pitchers working their way back.
Of course I drafted him on two fantasy teams. Oh well.
Godspeed.
I don’t mean that sarcastically. Happens to me every year around this time.
You Black! Emperor. Godspeed
They first called it a forearm strain after he left the game so at least he doesn’t need Tommy John. Still not ideal though.
Uh oh spaghetti oh
Spaghetti, sandwiches, plenty of ice cream, etc. That’s what Tristan should concentrate on during his time on the IL. He looks like he hasn’t eaten for quite some time.
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team guy.
Never said you had to, just pointing it out.
And we don’t care that you don’t care about his fantasy team
Nobody cares about you not caring lol gosh, what an imbecile…
The only imbeciles are the ones who post hate as a primary alternative to baseball content.
What veterans starter is out there that can supply six innings?
Tribe needs a trade of one of their many infielders
No worries. Next man up. Guardians ate loaded with young arms.
Different delivery. Completely different in the way they release the ball. Not even a close comparison.
Not cool. Not a Guardian enthusiast, but McKenzie is a cool, skinny dude. That sucks but Guardians are known for their pitching depth, so, not an emergency.
Same reaction. They’ll be fine. They’ll call up someone who will contend for the Cy Young within the next year.
Dr sticks needs to be used more often. One of the best nicknames in the game
6’5” and 165 lbs , he won’t last long built like that.
jagonza;
Good point.
Just like Chris Sale. The guy only pitched 10 years and 1,600 innings at the ML level darned if he didn’t get hurt!
Of course he appears to be pitching again this year. I’ll check and see if he put on 30 or 40 pounds.
And I’m sure, if you asked him if he eats, he would say he eats a lot but can’t seem to put on weight. I’m afraid if he decides to lift weights to build himself up, his limbs would snap like sticks.
Oh, yeah. More muscles to tear is the only way he can make it.
Yeah, two to three months would be terrible for the Indians team.
Gadzooks! Gaddis was already sky high about making the team. Now he’s likely to start in the opening series, on a contender with a great defense behind him. EGad the coaches will have to break out the relaxation exercises to calm him down. Tough luck for Dr. Stix but huge opportunity for next man up. Get ready for lots of shots of his family being proud. Unless, if course, Tito goes with Pilk.
I’d love to see Eli Morgan get another shot.