The Cleveland Guardians had high hopes for Triston McKenzie.
The pitcher had some nasty stuff when he was at his best, but control issues showed up from time to time.
Now, once projected as an ace, McKenzie is free-falling.
Despite needing another reliable arm for the rotation, the Guardians made the tough decision to demote him to the minors.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t done much to help, as he has struggled in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League (ACL).
Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com recently said he believes McKenzie needs to pitch for a full-season affiliate so he can get his groove back.
“RHP Triston McKenzie (0-2, 9.64), who accepted an outright assignment to the minors after being designated for assignment, allowed four runs on three hits in two innings as Cleveland’s Arizona Complex League team lost to the Diamondbacks, 8-4,” Hoynes wrote. “The best-case scenario for McKenzie is that he makes one or two more ACL starts and the Guardians move him to a full-season minor league affiliate so he can gain some confidence.”
So far in the ACL, he’s given up 10 earned runs and issued 11 walks with 12 strikeouts in 9.1 innings.
It’s hard to believe that he’s the same electric pitcher who posted a 2.96 ERA in the majors in 2022.
McKenzie posted an ERA over 5.00 in the next two seasons and had an 11.12 ERA this year before the Guardians sent him down.
There was hope he would be called back up at some point, but given how he’s struggled against lesser competition, it’s hard to envision that happening anytime soon.
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