The Cleveland Guardians made a pair of roster moves on Monday ahead of their four-game series opener against the Detroit Tigers, activating a veteran reliever from the injured list while optioning another arm back to Triple-A Columbus.
The moves: Shawn Armstrong was activated from the 15-day injured list, and Codi Heuer was optioned to Triple-A Columbus to make room on the roster.
“Made a change before today’s game against Detroit,” the Guardians wrote.
Made a change before today’s game against Detroit. #GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/31pW92PKhl
— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) May 18, 2026
Armstrong’s return is a welcome one for a bullpen that has leaned heavily on its primary contributors over the last several weeks. The 35-year-old right-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to April 23rd with a right groin strain before being sent on a rehab assignment to the Akron RubberDucks on May 12th. He was activated Monday after clearing all the necessary hurdles to return to game action.
Armstrong has appeared in 12 games this season, posting a 4.22 ERA across 10.2 innings with 13 strikeouts and a 1.406 WHIP.
Heuer, meanwhile, heads back to Columbus after a brief big league stint. The 29-year-old right-hander was recalled from Columbus on May 13th and appeared in one game for Cleveland, throwing two innings and allowing one run while striking out two in Sunday’s 10-3 series finale win over the Reds.
Cleveland opens a four-game road series in Detroit on Monday night with Slade Cecconi taking the ball against Framber Valdez, and having a veteran arm like Armstrong available in the bullpen gives Stephen Vogt more proven options to turn to in high-leverage situations. The Guardians bullpen has been one of the better units in the American League this season, and getting Armstrong healthy and back in the mix only adds to the depth Stephen Vogt has at his disposal.
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