CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Guardians still await the season debut of Gavin Williams after he was placed on the 15-day injured list on March 28th with right elbow inflammation.
“Gavin threw three innings, 47 pitches yesterday,” Cleveland’s President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti said, “He traveled in late last night. He’ll be at the ballpark later to check with our medical group and we’ll figure out next steps from there.”
Williams suffered the injury early in spring training, which has delayed his return to major league action even further.
“Given the timing when Gavin had his setback, he hadn’t yet built up the normal spring training volume,” Antonetti said. “So when that happens you effectively have to start almost like where you are in the offseason and then go through the ladder stages of the offseason and then a full spring training to get back up to that volume for a starting pitcher.”
The 24-year-old right-hander is entering his second year in the majors. Last season, he started 16 games and finished the year with a 3-5 record and a 3.29 ERA.
Williams avoided a stint on the injured list in 2023, but elbow injuries have been common to pitchers around the league this year.
“I wake up in the middle of the night panicking about a lot, but pitching injuries are definitely one of them,” Antonetti said. “I’m not sure we have enough data yet, but early indications are that injuries are up again. It’s not good for the players, for organizations, and for the sport generally. It’s an easy thing to assess and see what’s happening, but it’s a much more complex thing to figure out how to make it better.”
Williams will have to continue to ramp up his activity before inserting himself back in the Guardians rotation. For the time being, Ben Lively and Xzavion Curry could find themselves more starts on the rubber.
Another injury update – Chris Antonetti also gave an update on Sam Hentges. Hentges is scheduled to throw a light bullpen session on Sunday and is set for game activity Tuesday in Akron where he’ll likely throw one inning.
He was sent on a rehab assignment on Friday to the Akron RubberDucks. The left-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list on Opening Day with left middle finger inflammation.
Nayls bringing the energy – Josh Naylor has been one of the Guardians best at the plate to start the 2024 campaign.
Naylor leads the team in homers this season (6), and is second in RBI (17), in batting average (.329), and hits (24).
“I think we’re seeing Josh continue to develop into one of the better hitters in the American League,” Antonetti said. “There’s really not much in the batter's box that he isn’t capable of doing. He’s developed into a really good hitter, and he has infectious energy.”
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His two-run home run on Saturday was his second go-ahead/game-winning RBI this season. Following the blast to right-center field, Naylor had an emphatic celebration, which saw him hitting himself in the head with his bat before spiking it into the ground.
“I get nervous for the people around him,” Antonetti said. “I don’t think he’s showing signs of a concussion yet today, so that’s a positive. He hit himself pretty hard.”
Hot start – At 15-6, the Guardians own the best record in the American League. Cleveland became the first team in the majors to win 15 games in Saturday’s 6-3 win over the Athletics, and they have won 11 of their last 13 games.
“It’s always helpful. Anytime you can win early in the season, those are wins that no one can take away from us,” Antonetti said. “It gives us a great foundation for the season, but we’ve also played ⅛ of the season, so there’s a big chunk of it in front of us.”
The Guardians have scored an American League-leading 118 runs through 21 games this season. The club’s +48 run differential leads the majors and is tied for the fifth-best mark in team history through 21 games. Cleveland has also scored multiple runs in an inning 39 times this season, leading the league ahead of Atlanta (31).
Last season, the Guardians went 12-14 in the month of April. It took the team until June to post a winning record in a month. So what’s changed this season? Well, one thing to point to would be the club’s new manager Stephen Vogt.
“Regardless of what our record is right now, I would be sharing the same things,” Antonetti said. “I’ve really appreciated Stephen’s leadership, the partnership that we’re continuing to build with him, and the culture he’s continued to build upon and create in our major league clubhouse. In my view, he’s done an extraordinary job as he’s transitioned into the organization and into the role.”
A rare off-day – Don’t be alarmed Guardians fans. Jose Ramirez is out of Sunday’s lineup, but Chris Antonetti confirmed that it’s a scheduled day off for the five-time All-Star.
“He’s not happy at all,” Antonetti said. “As you all know Jose wants to be out there every day, but Stephen [Vogt] actually planned this a couple days ago. We just felt it would be great to have him get back-to-back days off even if Jose’s not quite happy.”
It’s Ramirez’s first off-day this season. Gabriel Arias will fill in at third base in the series finale against the Athletics. Arias is batting eighth in the lineup ahead of Brayan Rocchio who bats ninth and will play shortstop.