Cleveland made a notable change to its pitching staff Sunday, sending struggling reliever Franco Aleman down to Triple-A Columbus while bringing back a familiar face in Conor Brogdon. The timing lines up directly with Aleman’s recent outings, which have gone from a bright spot earlier in the summer to a real liability over the last several weeks at exactly the wrong moment for a Guardians club still fighting for playoff positioning.
Mason Horodyski confirmed the corresponding moves shortly after they became official.
“The Guardians have optioned Franco Aleman to AAA Columbus. Cleveland has recalled Conor Brogdon,” Horodyski wrote.
The #Guardians have optioned Franco Aleman to AAA Columbus. Cleveland has recalled Conor Brogdon #GuardsBall x @WEWS
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) September 13, 2026
Aleman’s struggles had become impossible to ignore. He entered the weekend with an ERA above four on the season, and his most recent appearance against the Twins on Saturday summed up the recent trend perfectly, allowing four earned runs while recording only two outs. Over his last seven days alone, he surrendered four earned runs across three and two-thirds innings, numbers that made the decision to option him down feel less like a surprise and more like a necessary reset with the calendar running short on the regular season. Cleveland cannot afford unreliable innings out of the bullpen in September, and giving Aleman a chance to refocus away from the pressure of a pennant race gives both him and the club a path forward.
Brogdon steps into the role knowing exactly what is at stake. He has bounced between Columbus and Cleveland throughout the season, including a stretch earlier in the year when he was designated for assignment before finding his way back into the organization’s plans. His time in the majors this season has produced mixed results, but he brings a track record of big league experience that includes well over two hundred career appearances and more than two hundred strikeouts at the game’s highest level, the kind of background that can provide stability even in a smaller role.
Bringing in a pitcher like Brogdon, who has spent his career filling a variety of relief roles, fits that approach as Cleveland heads into a stretch that includes a critical series against the division leading White Sox.
Cleveland is trying to balance keeping its bullpen fresh with putting its most reliable arms in position to get outs during the most important weeks of the season, and how Brogdon performs in this opportunity could go a long way toward shaping how manager Stephen Vogt handles late inning situations as the Guardians push toward the finish line.
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