After being pummeled for 12 runs and 14 hits on Friday, the Cleveland Guardians decided not to take left-hander Logan Allen with them to Seattle for the opening week of the 2026 MLB season. Parker Messick, who has a 2.72 ERA in a short cameo last year, won that fifth spot in the rotation with a good spring.
In the end, Messick’s 3.60 ERA in the Cactus League was way better than Allen’s 18.00 mark. The latter was bad this month, sure, but that doesn’t mean he is a bad pitcher.
On the contrary, his manager, Stephen Vogt, praised him and called him a major league hurler.
“We knew that today was going to be a hard day. Logan is a Major League starter. He is not an AAA starter…. We just don’t have room for six,” Vogt said, per Guardians insider Mason Horodyski.
"We knew that today was going to be a hard day." #Guardians Stephen Vogt Logan Allen.
Vogt also noted what they want to see from him in AAA, but notes that "Logan is a Major League starter. He is not an AAA starter…. We just don't have room for six." #GuardsBall @WEWS https://t.co/EbF3sRHerQ pic.twitter.com/5WD7gwPLV2
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) March 21, 2026
Allen did well last year as a member of the rotation, posting a 4.25 ERA in 156.2 innings of work. That’s right in line with his 4.48 career mark.
However, he isn’t better than Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Slade Cecconi, Joey Cantillo, and Messick. There is no shame in that: in fact, there’s a good chance Allen finds himself in the rotation again at some point of the season if, or when, injuries strike.
His job is to pitch well in Triple-A Columbus and be prepared for when that time comes. And believe us: it will come.
Kolby Allard, Doug Nikhazy, and Daniel Espino are also alternatives for Vogt should anything happen to the five main starters, but Allen is the next one in line. Whether he keeps that spot in the pecking order depends largely on him.
It’s clear that Vogt does value Allen and what he can do on the mound, but the race for the AL Central title is going to be so tight that the Guardians can’t afford to put him in the rotation and hope he rebounds when there’s a better pitcher available.
Allen is not the only one who has to prove himself, though: the same goes for Messick, who needs to show the world that what he did last year wasn’t the product of luck.
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