CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Manager Stephen Vogt provided injury updates ahead of their series finale against the Twins on Thursday.
Guardians starting pitcher Alex Cobb is scheduled to throw a simulated game in Toledo on Thursday with the Columbus Clippers.
“It’s kind of the next step,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “It’s a controlled environment to be able to get his work in. The bullpen from a few days ago went well, so he’s trending in the right direction.”
Cobb was placed on the injured list for the second time in his short tenure with the Guardians on September 12th. It wasn’t a fractured nail on his right hand this time, instead, it was a right-hand blister.
The 13-year MLB veteran is eligible to return by the end of the regular season. In three starts this season with Cleveland, Cobb owns a 2-1 record with a 2.76 ERA.
Kwan’s baseball activities – Steven Kwan was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday with mid-back inflammation. Manager Stephen Vogt said he’s still participating in baseball activities while on the IL.
“He’s doing exercises, swinging in the cage a little bit, so he’s feeling better,” Vogt said. “We didn’t want to have to put him on the IL, but it’s probably what was best to make sure that he’s fully ready to go.”
The All-Star left fielder leads the club this season with a .291 batting average. Kwan also has a single-season career-high 13 homers this year.
Kwan has struggled in the second half of the season. In 51 games since the All-Star break, he owns a .201 average with 39 hits, four homers, and 16 RBI.
Midwest League Champions – The Lake County Captains, the Guardians High-A Affiliate team, won the Midwest League Title with a 9-4 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Wednesday.
“It’s huge,” Vogt said. “I think player development, it’s about players developing, and we want them to develop into winners. When you play winning baseball, you learn. When you play playoff baseball, it doesn’t matter what level you’re in, there’s pressure and you have to step up.”
Lake County won the final two games of the best-of-three set against Wisconsin. The Captains hit seven homers in the series, the most in a Midwest League postseason since 2017.
The Midwest League Championship was Lake County’s first since 2010, and it marks the 29th by a Cleveland Minor League affiliate since 1963.
“To see winning in the minor leagues, it’s exciting,” Vogt said. “It’s the culture that has been here and we want to continue to build and we want winning baseball players at the major league level.”
