The Guardians announced that right-hander Alex Cobb has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a fractured nail on his right hand. Left-hander Anthony Gose was selected to take his roster spot. Lefty Sam Hentges was transferred to the 60-day IL in order to open a 40-man spot for Gose.
Cobb, 36, has dealt with his share of challenges over the past year. While with the Giants last season, he finished the campaign on the IL due to left hip inflammation. He underwent surgery on that hip in October, which was going to put him on the shelf to start 2024, but it was hoped that he could be back some time in May. The Giants seemed to have some belief in that timeline, as they picked up a $10MM club option for this year.
As he was ramping things up in March, it seemed he had a chance to beat that projection and come back earlier than expected, but then he hit some snags. Right shoulder inflammation delayed his return and he was transferred to the 60-day IL in mid-April. Even at that point, it was still hoped that a late May return was possible, but his throwing program was shut down in the middle of May due to discomfort in that shoulder.
He was able to get back on the mound and start a rehab assignment on June 30 but was traded to the Guardians a month later, just ahead of the deadline. The Giants had strengthened their rotation by welcoming Robbie Ray and Blake Snell off the IL, while getting encouraging results from rookies Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong.
The Guardians, meanwhile, had far less stability in their rotation. Shane Bieber required Tommy John surgery in April and is done for the year. Gavin Williams missed the first half of the season due to right elbow inflammation and has posted a 5.02 earned run average since being activated. Guys like Triston McKenzie, Logan Allen and Carlos Carrasco have also posted ERAs north of 5.00 this year. Carrasco is now on the IL with a strained hip while McKenzie and Allen have been optioned.
Getting a veteran like Cobb was therefore a sensible move but he’s now back on the IL after just two starts. The club hasn’t yet provided any information about what kind of absence they expect but it’s less than ideal regardless. Even if the finger issue is relatively minor and clears up in a few weeks, it’s yet another hurdle that will make it challenging for Cobb to get into a groove after so many stops and starts this year.
The Guardians have been in first place for a large chunk of the season but the standings have tightened up on them lately. They are now just two games up on the Twins and just three up on the Royals in the Central. Teams like the Red Sox and Mariners aren’t far behind, so it’s possible the Guards find themselves in a tight battle for a playoff spot in the coming weeks.
For now, they will have to try to stay afloat with a rotation that still has lots of uncertainty apart from Tanner Bibee. They recently welcome Matthew Boyd back from a lengthy Tommy John absence and he looked good in his first start of the year, but it’s his fourth straight season of missing time due to a serious injury, so it’s anyone’s guess what he can provide in the coming weeks and months. Ben Lively has a 3.68 ERA on the year but with a .255 batting average on balls in play and 83.6% strand rate. His 4.90 FIP and 4.51 SIERA are less optimistic. As mentioned, Williams has an ERA over 5.00 this year.
The Guardians are off today but then play ten games in nine days starting tomorrow, thanks to a double-header against the Royals next Monday. With Cobb now out of the picture for the next little while, they will have to reach into their depth to fill out the rotation alongside Bibee, Boyd, Lively and Williams. Neither McKenzie nor Allen have been especially strong in the minors this year. Joey Cantillo has a 2.97 ERA in Triple-A but had a 6.23 ERA in his three major league starts earlier this season.
In the meantime, they’ve added another arm to their bullpen by selecting Gose. The lefty was just outrighted off the roster a week ago but accepted an assignment to Triple-A Columbus. The former outfielder has strikeout stuff on the mound but also notable control issues. In 39 Triple-A innings this year, he has a 3.46 ERA and 32.9% strikeout rate but he has also walked 15% of batters that came to the plate.
He missed the 2023 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and the Guards called him up earlier this month, but he was squeezed off the roster a few days later when Cobb was reinstated from the IL. Now that Cobb is back on the shelf, Gose has his roster spot back. However, Gose is out of options and could potentially be nudged off yet again in the coming days as Cleveland will need to figure out their rotation plans.
Hentges has been on the 15-day IL since July 11 due to left shoulder inflammation. He’s now ineligible to be activated until 60 days from that date, which would be the second week of September. He started a rehab assignment in early July but hasn’t pitched since August 7. A few days after that, Zack Meisel of The Athletic relayed on X that Hentges was slated for more testing. His current status isn’t publicly known but the Guardians apparently don’t expect him to be able to return in the next few weeks.
Zach Eflin was the best starting pitcher acquisition of the deadline.
*cough* jack flaherty *cough*
We will see, we will see. 🙂
Way too small of sample sizes for both.
But it did ruin his manicure. Another Guardian joke
Cleveland is in a tough spot. Any losing streak cuts into their division lead and the Wild Card is tight too. Dig Deep.
That’s true every division leading team right now(besides the brewers???), the dodgers only having a 3 game lead does not sound right
They play smallball as many other small market teams do, and can be successful. When they went head-to-head with the Orioles the Guardians looked great.
They just went head-to head with the Brewers and got swept by scores of 5-3, 2-1, and 2-0. Jose Rameriz went 2 for 11 with one HR and one walk. Shut him down and the Guardians aren’t very good.
At least it wasn’t a fractured hangnail. Those are brutal.
Two weeks off for a busted nail? Must be real nice.
Can you imagine being able to control MLB-quality pitches with a fractured fingernail? The precision required to perform at that level isn’t something most people are familiar with.
How shall I put this?
However you like.
Twins are ten times better. Heck Detroit is a better team when healthy
So the Twins would win 10 of every 11 games they played against the Guardians? Right…
Also, health matters, so your Tigers comment falls flat until they pass the Guardians.
Twins keep trotting out the same mediocre team and their fans get all whiny they aren’t winning the AL Central by 20 games. I’ll give them credit, they have power, but of you can’t win the series against your division foes, you’ll be behind in the standings.
No one commenting about Anthony Gose being back as a pitcher!?
I remember the Asstros picking him up in the Rule V draft several years back – that was the first I heard about his pitching
lol nm he’s been in the majors already – still amazing though
Not only did he come back as a pitcher.. but he underwent TJS and all the associated rehab to give it another go.
CLE had called him up a couple weeks ago, he pitched once, and they DFAd him immediately afterward. I’m stunned he didn’t get claimed because he’s had a solid season in AAA.
Might be time to get aggressive and call up Webb? Maybe see if Messick has something? Anything to get them through 5IP?
Quick but expected.
Real men who got a busted finger would spit on it, wrap it up, and get back to work. Problem solved.
If MLB allowed that on a pitcher’s throwing hand there might be a couple who would do that.
Crazy glue will do the job
You guys lost some close games in Milwaukee. You are a good team!
Hairline fracture. From combing his hair.
He apparently tore the nail off of his finger.
That definitely hurts the first day but once it dries up it’s all good right? Except for the fact the skin and meat is pretty tender and if it gets hit or bumped it’ll hurt?
But I think after 3 or 4 days with the nail torn off it should be good to go? Dry, healed, less tender?
I think he said he hoped he would only lose two starts.
Remember when Trevor Bauer pitched with blood dripping from his pitching hand? And this guy can’t pitch with a broken nail? Too bad he’s not available. Oh wait. He is but too controversial to touch.
Bauer had to leave the game with his bloody drone finger.
It’s not really up to Cobb. He can’t just put himself into the lineup.
Apparently he uses his index finger nail to grip his curveball. That nail is now gone. So he doesn’t have an offspeed pitch to throw. Few starting pitchers can put together a decent start with only fastballs.. let alone in Yankee Stadium.
Bauer’s performance was in the playoffs, where it made more sense to take a shot. The performance was as gutsy as it was ineffective. He only lasted 0.2 IP.
A healthy Cantillo has a better shot of putting together a decent start than Cobb with only his fastballs.
“Meanwhile” needs to start the sentence. As a conjunctive adverb, it can’t come in the middle between commas. These writers and Tim Dierkes (if he edits/approves these) need to learn this.
No they don’t. We get the gist of it. It’s a rumors website with Snippets and notes and articles of little consequence. These are not books. These are read once and forgotten about and disappear into the cloud forever.
You, meanwhile, need a job, a girlfriend, or a totally new hobby. That should take care of your conjunctive adverb issue.
Yes, they do. And these are people being paid to write. It is no less important to write in proper English here than in a book. But since you regard them with such low esteem, perhaps you shouldn’t read their articles, let alone pay for them.
Imagine being so miserable that you resort to ad hominem attacks on someone for pointing out grammar mistakes on the internet. And for the record, I have a job where I likely make more money than you, and I don’t need a girlfriend because I have your mom.
Why do you need my mom? Your mom got tired?
Lmao he destroyed you. And rightfully so. You decided to go in on his character and say he needed a girlfriend or a hobby when he mentioned a punctuation error. Just weirdo behavior and seems like you’re projecting.
Just take the L, weirdo.
You went mom. Who’s the weirdo?
Stop sending your friends over to defend you.
But I will call truce because offending and getting offended back and forth is not fun for me. I’ll take the high road and take as many L’s as you want to give me. I consider this forgotten. Hope you’re good with that. Take care.
You attacked my character out of nowhere by saying I needed a girlfriend. You inserted yourself into this by commenting on something that wasn’t directed at you, and used the opportunity to go ad hominem. With that, you have no right to crow about “taking the high road.”
Fair enough. I tried making peace. I’m not crowing, I’m not taking the low road and insulting you back anymore.
Didn’t you read where I wrote I’m taking all the L’s you want to give me? That’s not crowing.
I’m taking the high road and avoiding taking the confrontation further.
But do as you wish. I respect that.
Keep telling yourself that. Your self-righteousness is showing when you continue to pat yourself on the back after you decided to engage me by taking the low road.
To me it’s over. Done. You keep carrying around that torch. Good luck with that. I wish you well and I’m saying it with myself righteous voice right?
Wow can’t win with some guys. Little bit douchey if you ask me. But whatever.., you do you. Keep holding that grudge. It looks good on you.
You keep replying, so who’s holding the grudge? And now you’re back to your original ad hominem of calling me “douchey.”
You bring out the best in me what can I say.
You’re weird.
You attacked my character out of nowhere by saying I needed a girlfriend. You inserted yourself into this by commenting on something that wasn’t directed at you, and used the opportunity to go ad hominem. With that, you have no right to crow about “taking the high road.”
Fair enough. I tried making peace. I’m not crowing, I’m NOT taking the low road and insulting you back any longer.
Didn’t you read where I wrote that you can give me all the L’s you want? That’s not crowing.
I’m taking the high road and avoiding taking the confrontation further.
But do as you wish. I respect that.