Guardians Pitcher Has Slowly Turned His Season Around

After allowing five runs and 10 hits against the Athletics on May 2, Cleveland Guardians right-hander Slade Cecconi had a 6.56 ERA. Fans and media were questioning his place in the rotation, and rightfully so: a contending team with great chances of winning the division should make sure to have reliable starters taking the ball every five days.

Cecconi, the main piece of the Josh Naylor trade with Arizona before the 2025 campaign, started to turn his season around after that outing, and hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in a game ever since.

He took the ball on Tuesday and gave his team five solid frames, with two runs and seven strikeouts in just 87 pitches. It’s part of an ongoing trend in which he has looked like the mid-rotation asset the Guardians thought they were acquiring.

“Cecconi goes 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R/2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 HR on 87 pitches. He has a 3.16 ERA in 37 innings over his past seven starts,” team insider Tim Stebbins said.

Cecconi goes 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R/2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 HR on 87 pitches.

He has a 3.16 ERA in 37 innings over his past seven starts.

— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) June 10, 2026

We can’t say that Cecconi is fully firing on all cylinders, because his ERA for the season is still a rather mediocre 4.83. However, he is very much trending in the right direction, having put together a strong run in his last seven turns.

For weeks, even months, Cecconi was seen as the weak link in the Guardians’ rotation, and fans had every reason to think that way. He is slowly reaching his top form and is showing that he has some exciting upside.

Last year, the right-hander posted a 4.30 ERA as a full-time starter, and people inside the organization believe he can be even better than that this season. And even if his ceiling is that of a 4.00-ERA type, the Guardians will take it because he is durable and highly competitive.

Perhaps Cecconi doesn’t have the sheer velocity or the swing-and-miss ability to become an ace, but he can be a steady, consistent pitcher who takes the ball every five days and gives his team a chance. He is pitching like that over his last seven games. The biggest challenge, however, will be keeping this up for a longer period.