The Cleveland Guardians have lost four straight games, including two against the Minnesota Twins. They will get swept if they don’t win on Thursday.
Additionally, if the Twins take Thursday’s finale, they will tie the Guardians for second place in the AL Central. It couldn’t get any worse for Cleveland.
To make matters worse, left-handed reliever Tim Herrin sustained an injury in Wednesday’s game after being hit in his left elbow by a comebacker. The southpaw has been placed on the 15-day injured list in one of several moves made by the team ahead of the finale.
“We’ve got a few moves for you this morning,” Guards Insider posted.
We’ve got a few moves for you this morning.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/UjUsed91AL
— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) July 9, 2026
Manager Stephen Vogt said after the game that X-rays were negative and that it’s a contusion just above the elbow. There’s no word about whether the team will perform an MRI on the area, but for now, he is sore enough to be placed on the list for a couple of weeks.
Herrin will be replaced by right-hander Codi Heuer, who has a 5.63 ERA in eight major league innings in Cleveland this year. He had been much better in Triple-A, with a 3.52 ERA in 23 frames.
Additionally, the Guardians are recalling outfielder Petey Halpin and sending down struggling rookie Cooper Ingle, who couldn’t show his best version in Cleveland either offensively or defensively.
Ingle played in seven games and took up 24 plate appearances, hitting .095 with a -5 wRC+ and a 50 percent strikeout rate. He also committed three errors in four outfield starts: one fielding and two throwing. It’s not really his best position, as he is a catcher, but that just won’t cut it.
He will now go to Columbus, where he has a 150 wRC+ in 51 games. He will keep alternating between the outfield and catcher and try to earn another shot eventually.
Halpin has put up a 9 wRC+ in 56 plate appearances in MLB this year, so he hasn’t been much better than Ingle at the plate. However, he contributes solid defense and excellent baserunning.
On top of that, Ingle needs to be playing every day, and that wasn’t happening at the MLB level. Halpin is a solid prospect in his own right, but his skill set is best suited for a spot on the bench.
NEXT: Analyst Sends A Warning To Guardians Amid Losing Streak
