The Cleveland Guardians had placed right-hander reliever Hunter Gaddis, one of their bullpen aces, on the bereavement list a couple of days ago.
He is now ready to return to his role as one of Emmanuel Clase’s setup men.
To make room for Gaddis, however, the Guardians sent down a valuable lefty reliever: Joey Cantillo.
Another move has been made.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/nYte0zgbMH
— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) May 27, 2025
However, they do have a bigger plan for the southpaw, and he will need to prepare for it.
According to Tim Stebbins of MLB.com, the Guardians intend to stretch out Cantillo as a starter, and that will require at least a couple of weeks in the minors.
Couple notes from Vogt:
-Cantillo will be stretched out as a starter with Triple-A Columbus
-Cecconi came out of his start Friday with mild groin tightness. He won’t start tomorrow/will be pushed back to other side off off-day.
“It’s trending in the right direction.”
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) May 27, 2025
Cantillo was a starting pitcher during his entire professional career leading up to the 2025 campaign when he was converted to a multi-inning reliever.
He found success in that role, with a 3.81 ERA in 28.1 innings, notching 36 strikeouts and giving Cleveland a competitive arm to help take the ball into the late innings.
However, with Ben Lively done for the season, Slade Cecconi now nursing some mild groin tightness, and Gavin Williams and Luis Ortiz not exactly performing at their best, the organization decided to give Cantillo a chance at winning a rotation spot in a few weeks.
As for Gaddis, the bullpen needs his consistency.
He has one of the lowest ERAs in the league at 0.86, over 21 innings.
He had broken out as a reliever last year, with a 1.57 mark in 74.2 frames.
Having him back so soon is a relief for Guardians manager Stephen Vogt.
NEXT: Guardians Top Prospect Hits First Triple-A Homer Of 2025
