One Guardians Injury May Have Mattered More Than Anyone Realized

The Cleveland Guardians’ bullpen carried a massive load this October, and by the end of the American League Championship Series, the strain was easy to see. Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis, who had been nearly untouchable for most of the postseason, each allowed two run homers in the late innings of Game 6 as the Tampa Bay Rays closed out the series with a 7-3 win. Shawn Armstrong started that game after pitching on each of the previous two days, and Stephen Vogt used eight pitchers in all. Looking back on the season, MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins pointed to one name that was missing from that group and could have made a real difference.  Colin Holderman.

“Speaking of the bullpen workload, you have to think the Guardians missed Colin Holderman. The right-hander, who emerged as a key presence in the middle innings this season, did not pitch this postseason due to right wrist tendinitis, which required surgery on Oct. 14. Manager Stephen Vogt leaned heavily on Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis (nine appearances each), Erik Sabrowski (eight), Armstrong and Herrin (seven) and Espino (six) in the playoffs. Holderman could have changed the calculus,” Stebbins wrote.

Stebbins explained that Holderman, who became a key piece in the middle innings this season, did not pitch at all in the postseason because of tendinitis in his right wrist. The issue eventually required surgery on Oct. 14. Without him, Vogt leaned heavily on the rest of his bullpen. Smith and Gaddis each made nine appearances, Erik Sabrowski made eight, Armstrong and Tim Herrin each pitched in seven games, and Daniel Espino made six. Stebbins said Holderman could have changed the calculus for Cleveland’s staff.

The numbers show just how valuable he was. In his first season with the Guardians, Holderman went 6-4 with a 2.73 ERA over 54 appearances, striking out 50 batters in 52 2/3 innings. His 151 ERA+ meant he was 51 percent better than a league average pitcher, and he held opponents to just six hits per nine innings with a 1.04 WHIP. Perhaps most importantly, he allowed only one home run all season.

That last number stands out given how the ALCS played out. Home runs decided several games in the series, including two run blasts by Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz in Game 6 and Díaz’s homer off Matt Festa in Game 4. Holderman’s ability to keep the ball in the park would have been a valuable weapon against a Rays lineup that came alive late in the series.

It was also a strong bounce back year for the right-hander. Holderman spent four seasons in Pittsburgh after beginning his career with the Mets, and he struggled through a rough 2025, posting a 7.01 ERA over 24 appearances. Cleveland gave him a fresh start, and he quickly became one of the most reliable arms in the middle of the bullpen.

His absence forced Vogt to get creative in October. The Guardians used openers, turned to starters in relief and asked several pitchers to work on back to back days. Festa made his first postseason appearances in the ALCS, while Tanner Bibee went unused because Vogt was saving him for potential extra inning coverage. With Holderman available, Cleveland would have had another trusted arm to bridge the gap to Smith, which might have kept the top relievers fresher for the biggest moments.

Cleveland’s season ended two wins short of the World Series. It is impossible to know whether Holderman would have changed that outcome, but his absence certainly made Vogt’s job a lot harder.