On Sunday, Gavin Williams was supposed to start for the Cleveland Guardians.
However, elbow discomfort knocked him out of that start and put a cloud on his outlook for the short-term: fans usually read “elbow” and “discomfort” in the same sentence and they immediately think about the worst-case scenario.
Manager Stephen Vogt had stated that the team was just proceeding with an “abundance of caution,” and that the talented right-hander would probably be throwing again in a couple days.
Guardians pitching coach Carl Willis had an update on Williams on Wednesday, according to team insider Mandy Bell.
“Carl Willis on Gavin Williams: ‘We’re still getting information…All the news has been good. He continues to improve, which is great news. It’s still day-to-day because we want to be assured when he touches a mound again — and I think that’ll be soon — that he’s ready to go,'” Bell tweeted.
Carl Willis on Gavin Williams: "We're still getting information…All the news has been good. He continues to improve, which is great news. It's still day-to-day because we want to be assured when he touches a mound again — and I think that'll be soon — that he's ready to go."
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) March 13, 2024
Willis did not say much, but he also said a lot.
While there are no details about what studies and tests have been performed on Williams’ elbow, he says he expects him to return to the mound soon and that “all the news has been good.”
One has to think the team performed an MRI to rule out ligament damage, and based on what Willis said, that appears to be the case here because if there was ligament or structural damage, Williams wouldn’t be touching a mound anytime soon.
It looks like the Guards dodged a potential disaster.
However, there is still no official timetable for Williams, who posted a fine 3.29 ERA in 82 frames last year, to return to action.
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