The spring of 2024 brought with it two Tommy John victims for the Cleveland Guardians.
One of them was starter Shane Bieber, who is currently rehabbing in the minor league system and just about ready to return to the rotation.
The other name is certainly not as highly-regarded in Guardians’ circles, but when healthy, he can certainly be a difference-maker: Trevor Stephan.
Stephan went under the knife in late March 2024 and has been pitching in rehab games in the minor leagues for a while.
The Guardians are still not fully satisfied with the results, though, so they made a roster decision involving the righty.
“The Guardians have activated Trevor Stephan and optioned him to AAA,” Al Pawlowski posted on X.
The Guardians have activated Trevor Stephan and optioned him to AAA.
— Al Pawlowski (@AlPawlowski) July 30, 2025
Having already used his entire rehab window, Cleveland needed to make a decision on Stephan.
They could have called him up to join the MLB bullpen, but the Guardians optioned him to Scranton to keep getting some reps and innings under his belt.
His most recent outing, which came on Tuesday in Double-A, was flawless, with a clean inning and a strikeout.
His stats, overall, have left a lot to be desired, though, as he has an 11.81 ERA in 10.2 minor league innings across multiple levels during his rehab stint.
Stephan could be an option in a few weeks, once he proves he can return to his pre-injury level.
His best season was 2022, when he posted a 2.69 ERA in 63.2 innings with the Guards.
His career 3.73 ERA and strikeout power make him a useful arm to have around for Cleveland.
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