Guardians Select Connor Gillispie

The Guardians announced a series of roster moves this morning, headlined by the club selecting the contract of right-hander Connor Gillispie. The club also recalled righty Eli Morgan. In corresponding moves, rookie left-hander Joey Cantillo and right-hander Xzavion Curry were optioned to Triple-A.

Gillispie, 26, was a ninth-round pick by the Orioles back in 2019. He reached Double-A in Baltimore before being selected by the Guardians in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft this past winter. He’s swung between the rotation and bullpen for Cleveland at the Triple-A level since then, and he’s done so with decent numbers. In 89 2/3 innings of work across 20 appearances (11 starts), Gillispie sports a 4.01 ERA with somewhat concerning peripherals. The righty’s decent 23.3% strikeout rate is paired with an elevated 10.5% walk rate and a shocking number of home runs. As a fly ball pitcher who has seen 17% of his balls in the fly balls leave the yard for homers, Gillispie has surrendered a whopping 19 homers so far this season.

It’s not yet clear what role Gillispie will fill with the Guardians now that he’s on the big league roster, though it’s perhaps worth noting that the club has not yet announced a starting pitcher for tomorrow’s game against the Diamondbacks. Gillispie last pitched on July 26, meaning he’s had more than a week of rest since his last outing and should be able to provide length for Cleveland whether he winds up pitching out of the bullpen or the rotation, although the Guardians are surely hoping he can get his issues with the long ball under control in the majors.

Cleveland’s rotation currently features just four arms (Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Ben Lively, and Carlos Carrasco) but the move to option Curry also leaves room for a fresh long relief arm in the bullpen. Veteran right-hander Alex Cobb figures to join the rotation picture at some point in the near future for the club after being acquired from the Giants at the trade deadline, but he made what should be his final rehab starts in the minor leagues last night and won’t be available for a few more days.

Also joining the club’s active roster is Morgan, who has pitched to excellent results when in the majors despite middling peripherals. The right-hander sports a sparkling 1.98 ERA and 2.80 FIP in 13 2/3 innings of work at the big league level this year but has gotten by despite a paltry 17.9% walk rate thanks to an elevated 75% strand rate and zero home runs allowed in the majors so far this season. His numbers at Triple-A have been solid as well, however, as he’s posted a 2.70 ERA with a more palatable 22.9% strikeout rate in 16 2/3 innings of work in the minors. Prior to this year, Morgan has been a valuable reliever for the Guardians since converting to the bullpen full time with a 3.69 ERA and 3.73 FIP in 134 innings over the past two years.

Making room for Morgan and Gillispie on the 40-man roster are Cantillo and Curry, both of whom are headed to Triple-A for the time being. Cantillo, 24, looked good in eight appearances (seven starts) at the highest level of the minors this year before being promoted to the majors last week, but he’s struggled to a 7.36 ERA across two starts in his first taste of big league action. He’ll take that experience back to the minors and prepare for his next opportunity to establish himself properly as a major leaguer. As for Curry, the 26-year-old impressed last year with a 4.07 ERA in 95 innings as a multi-inning reliever and swing man for the Guardians but has struggled in a similar role this year with a 5.84 ERA and 5.20 FIP in seven appearances, including four starts. He’ll head to Triple-A to act as a versatile depth option for the time being, though it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get another shot to re-establish himself later this year.