The Guardians announced Tuesday that they’ve designated righty Nic Enright for assignment. Cleveland has also added righties Austin Peterson and Yorman Gomez, infielder Angel Genao and outfielder Kahlil Watson to the 40-man roster, which is now full. Those four newcomers are now protected from being taken in next month’s Rule 5 Draft.
Enright, 28, was a feel-good story this season. The former Marlins farmhand overcame years of cancer treatment after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma back in 2022 and made his MLB debut this past May. Readers are highly encouraged to read a pair of stories from The Athletic’s Zack Meisel — the first chronicling the harrowing diagnosis and years of work to get back on the mound, and the second wherein a tearful Enright and his family discussed his first call to the big leagues.
That long-awaited MLB debut went brilliantly. Enright pitched 31 innings with a pristine 2.03 ERA, 23.6% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate out of manager Stephen Vogt’s bullpen. Unfortunately, he hit another roadblock in his baseball odyssey when an elbow injury proved to be a torn ulnar collateral ligament that necessitated Tommy John surgery last month.
There’s no 60-day IL in the offseason, so the Guardians had to make what was surely an uncomfortable business decision, jettisoning Enright from the 40-man roster rather than dedicating a spot to him until spring training next year, when the 60-day IL is once again available. He’ll now be available on waivers, but any team claiming Enright would need to carry him all offseason. If he clears, he can become a minor league free agent and sign with any club. A two-year minor league deal to return to the Guardians wouldn’t be a huge surprise, if Enright eventually hits the market.
The 21-year-old Genao is widely regarded as one of Cleveland’s top prospects — if not their No. 1. He’s a top-100 prospect who’s coming off a .263/.332/.382 slash in a season primarily spent as one of the youngest players in Double-A. He’s a contact- and speed-oriented middle infielder with a chance to stick at shortstop.
Peterson, 26, is likely to get his first big league look next year. The 2022 ninth-rounder has posted a 3.21 in 146 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. Peterson sits 92-93 mph with his heater and has below-average strikeout rates, fanning just 21.5% of his opponents between those two levels and notching a slightly below-average 11.2% swinging-strike rate. He still has plus command with an above-average slider and could be a back-of-the-rotation type or a swingman — particularly since his towering 6’6″ frame helps that pedestrian velocity play up a slight bit.
Gomez, 23, picked up 121 1/3 innings between High-A and Double-A, logging a combined 2.96 ERA. He’s a three-pitch starter — fastball, curveball, slider — with below-average command but three straight seasons of sub-4.00 ERA rotation work in the minors.
Watson, 22, was a first-round pick by the Marlins whose stock cratered in Miami before he was traded to the Guardians as part of the Josh Bell/Jean Segura swap. A change of scenery and move to the outfield has unlocked something in Watson. Long touted as a plus athlete, his performance at the plate in his age-22 season reached new heights. He hit .250/.346/.467 (128 wRC+) with 16 homers and 17 steals — a pronounced uptick from a hitter who struggled to post even league-average results in the lower minors.
