The Cleveland Guardians are seeking a third consecutive AL Central crown, but they have a lot of roster uncertainties that need to be sorted out before Opening Day to ensure another playoff run is in the cards. With six starting pitchers competing for five spots in the rotation, the young guys have work to do to solidify their roles, and that group includes Joey Cantillo.
Cantillo was a valuable member of the pitching staff in 2025 as the 26-year-old bounced between the rotation and the bullpen and posted a 3.21 ERA over 95.1 innings with an impressive 108 strikeouts. The 42 walks are something he needs to clean up, but he sounds like he is in a great place mentally heading into 2026 and recently gave the fans plenty of reason for optimism.
GuardsTV shared a clip of Cantillo discussing his approach going into this season. He said he wasn’t always having fun last season and plans on enjoying his time this year a lot more.
“The big thing I’m telling myself, like, I was not always having the most fun playing baseball last year at all. Doing that at the end, that was a better finish, at least getting to experience that. I think that’s the biggest thing. We’re going to have a lot of fun this year. We’re going to enjoy it,” Cantillo said.
Joey Cantillo takes the hill today.
He comes in 2026 with a new perspective.#GuardsSpring pic.twitter.com/gDoP5bReLs
— GuardsTV (@GuardsTV) February 26, 2026
Cantillo is currently in the mix for a spot in the starting rotation, but he didn’t help himself today after giving up four runs on four hits in 1.1 innings of work against the Seattle Mariners. Hopefully he was just knocking the rust off and that doesn’t become a trend.
It’s unclear why Cantillo wasn’t having much fun last season, especially considering how effective he was on the mound. It could always be the uncertainty and the stress that comes along with being an unestablished player, but now that he has proven to himself and all the fans that he belongs here, hopefully he can have a blast this season and take his game up another level.
Battling for a spot in the rotation can be stressful, but nothing is more important than mental health. The fans are behind the young lefty and will be rooting for him every step of the way.
NEXT: Young Guardians Pitcher Getting Sleeper Hype For 2026
