Triston McKenzie worked hard in the offseason to regain some of his lost fastball velocity and the effectiveness and sharpness of his entire arsenal.
He regained some of that velocity, even adding some.
But he didn’t do a consistent job commanding his other pitches and couldn’t win a place in the Guardians rotation.
Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Luis Ortiz, Ben Lively and Logan Allen sealed those spots, leaving McKenzie on the outside.
He is out of minor league options, so Cleveland will use him in the bullpen for the time being.
McKenzie appeared in the Guardians’ spring finale and made a solid impression.
“Cleveland Guardians RHP Triston McKenzie with a scoreless 6th inning of relief vs. the [Arizona] D-Backs walking one while striking out one. He topped out at 96.8 mph,” Guardians Prospective wrote on X.
Cleveland #Guardians RHP Triston McKenzie with a scoreless 6th inning of relief vs the D-Backs walking one while striking out one. He topped out at 96.8 mph.
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) March 25, 2025
Command is absolutely necessary for all major league pitchers, but it’s even more of a need for starters.
They have to navigate through a lineup up to three times per game, so they can’t afford mistakes.
Relievers, in turn, can get away with a mistake or two, and they usually throw harder, which helps hide command deficiencies.
That’s why McKenzie can succeed in his new role.
As a starter, he had a 5.11 ERA in MLB last year, 5.23 in Triple-A, and 6.92 in Cactus League play this spring training.
Pitching with a partial UCL tear hasn’t helped.
There is a chance he will eventually return to Cleveland’s rotation, but for now, he will have to prove his worth in one-inning spurts or perhaps in a multi-inning role.
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