Building a roster in modern baseball means constantly preparing for injuries, especially on the pitching staff.
MLB organizations need to have up to nine or ten starters capable of getting outs at the highest level, because injuries are always part of the calculation.
They happen every year and to every team, and the Cleveland Guardians know this.
On Saturday, they got some good news on outfielder Chase DeLauter, but one of their top pitching prospects went down for a few weeks, at the very least.
Guardians insider Tim Stebbins revealed that Austin Peterson, who was shaping up as an important depth piece for Columbus and Cleveland this year, will be sidelined for a while.
“Austin Peterson suffered a moderate grade right triceps strain during his appearance on Tuesday against the Dodgers. Expected to miss 6-8 weeks. Guardians’ No. 30 prospect in 2025 per MLB Pipeline,” Stebbins wrote on X.
Austin Peterson suffered a moderate grade right triceps strain during his appearance Tuesday against the Dodgers. Expected to miss 6-8 weeks.
Guardians' No. 30 prospect in 2025 per MLB Pipeline.
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) February 28, 2026
Peterson wasn’t going to make the Guards’ rotation with Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Joey Cantillo, Logan Allen, Slade Cecconi, Parker Messick, and Doug Nikhazy all ahead of him in the depth chart.
However, he could have positioned himself for an MLB call-up at some point around May or June if the team needed him.
Now, that idea will have to wait until he gets healthy, at the very least.
Peterson was actually very solid in the high minors last year, posting a 3.21 ERA in 145.2 frames between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus.
His 7.85 strikeouts per nine innings paint the picture of a pitcher with back-of-the-rotation upside rather than a frontline arm, but he does a good job avoiding hurting himself with walks or home runs, and that gives him a good floor.
Peterson, 26, will return with the minor league season already underway, and will have to overcome a few hurdles before the Guardians seriously consider him as someone who could help them this year.
Triceps strains can be very tricky when the person nursing them uses the muscle to throw a baseball with maximum effort 90 to 100 times every five days, so expect the Guardians to manage his recovery slowly and carefully.
He should be back well before the first half comes to an end, though.
NEXT: Guardians Announce Starting Lineup For Saturday's Game
