On Wednesday, news surfaced that Cleveland Guardians relief pitching prospect Franco Aleman might need surgery to repair an inguinal hernia.
Later that day, the Guardians’ fears were confirmed: he will need to go under the knife, which means he is going to miss multiple weeks.
“Aleman will undergo hernia surgery and be sidelined to start the season. No timeline currently for a return to the mound,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.
Aleman will undergo hernia surgery and be sidelined to start the season. No timeline currently for a return to the mound. https://t.co/2nQB3aZKz6
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) February 26, 2025
It’s hard to determine exactly how much time Aleman will miss because of the nature of the injury, but we do know that the team will take its time with him to ensure he comes back in the best possible condition.
Of course, when you have the best and deepest group of relievers in the league, you can afford to let Aleman recover at his own pace.
The Guardians had added the talented right-hander to the 40-man roster in the fall to avoid losing him in the Rule 5 Draft.
Armed with a high-90s fastball that can touch the triple digits and a filthy slider, he has typical power pitcher stuff.
He also posted a 1.99 ERA in 22.2 innings with the Columbus Clippers, the Guardians’ Triple-A affiliate, in 2024.
His 34 strikeouts prove that he can get swings and misses with relative ease.
Aleman could be the next great Guardians reliever, but he will have to wait at least several weeks for his MLB debut.
Right now, the priority will likely be returning to full health.
Everything else will come in time.
For now, the Guardians, who should announce a more concrete timeline soon, will have to move on without him.
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