Cleveland Guardians high-leverage reliever Hunter Gaddis had to deal with a right forearm strain during most of March. Because of that, he had to miss a large chunk of spring training, and that, for a pitcher, is usually bad news.
Gaddis opened the season on the injured list and wasn’t activated until April 13. Even then, he hadn’t looked like himself during his rehab assignment, but most people chalked it up to rust.
He has pitched seven games already, and doesn’t seem to have returned to his best yet. Far from it, actually.
“Hunter Gaddis blew the game Monday night. Now, in his next outing, he can’t get any of the four batters he faces out in Sacramento,” Josh Lowe said.
Hunter Gaddis blew the game Monday night, now in his next outing, he can't get any of the four batters he faces out in Sacramento.
— Josh Lowe (@JoshMLowe) May 2, 2026
Gaddis entered Friday’s game with the Guardians up 8-4 in the bottom of the seventh inning. He immediately conceded a single to Jacob Wilson, then walked Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz. After Brent Rooker laced a run-scoring single, manager Stephen Vogt mercifully decided to remove him from the game.
Left-hander Erik Sabrowski took over and proceeded to take care of the inning with two strikeouts and a flyout. What was a comfortable lead turned into a risky tightrope walk for the Guardians bullpen. Thankfully, Sabrowski bailed Gaddis out with his huge performance.
Gaddis, far from a strength, is becoming a liability. His 8.44 ERA in 5.1 frames is hard to stomach, and even though the sample is still very small, he is showing no signs of turning his season around.
Home runs and hits are becoming a glaring issue. He has surrendered a couple of long balls already and has also allowed eight hits and three walks. His WHIP, as a result, is an unfathomable 2.06.
Gaddis is going nowhere if he is allowing two baserunners per inning. Well, yes, he could go to Columbus if he keeps this up, although he is likely to get a longer leash given his track record to this point and the fact that he is coming off the injury.
He is not that far from his ideal velocity, even though he sat in the 93-94 mph range on Friday when his season average is 95 mph. Command and pitch selection, however, have been big problems he needs to solve.
Right now, Gaddis can’t be trusted in close games. He is not the pitcher he used to be. He could eventually regain his top form, but he doesn’t seem particularly close at the moment.
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