Guardians Urged To Call Up Pitching Prospect To Big Leagues

Considering the four opponents the Cleveland Guardians have had to deal with thus far, the fact that they are off to an 8-5 start to their 2026 season is quite impressive. The offense remains an issue just as it was last year, but there are signs of the bats waking up after making it through the early gauntlet of top-tier starters they had to face against the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers to begin the season.

On the other side of the ball, Cleveland’s pitching staff has been one of the best in baseball with a 3.13 team ERA and .198 opponent batting average. Despite the early success, there is already pressure on the team to call up one of its most exciting pitching prospects later in the year. Justin Lada of LockedOn Guardians posted that prospect Justin Campbell is looking great thus far with High-A Lake County.

He has a 2.08 ERA and seven strikeouts through 4.1 innings of work, and Lada praised him for showing such electric stuff after enduring multiple arm surgeries.

“I’ve seen enough. If he’s healthy in November, Justin Campbell is going to have to be on the 40 man roster. I have no idea how someone who has missed that much time with multiple arm surgeries is throwing 94-96 with a nasty slider and curve, and a changeup. Demon,” Lada posted on X.

I've seen enough. If he's healthy in November, Justin Campbell is going to have to be on the 40 man roster.

I have no idea how someone who has missed that much time with multiple arm surgeries is throwing 94-96 with a nasty slider and curve, and a changeup.

Demon.

— Justin L. (jlbaseball on bluesky) (@JL_Baseball) April 8, 2026

There’s normally very little buzz around a 25-year-old prospect who is still in High-A, but Campbell’s path has been as rocky as can be. His development has been stunted since being drafted 37th overall in the 2022 draft, but it’s quite the story that he appears to be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

Campbell underwent ulnar nerve decompression surgery on his elbow in 2023 before having Tommy John surgery on the elbow in 2024. He also had to undergo right wrist surgery six months after the Tommy John surgery and had a setback in 2025, which reset his timeline a bit. He is finally pitching in 2026, and he looks stellar in his brief action so far, as Lada said.

There are other big prospects who will need to get called up first, but if Campbell remains healthy, he could move through the system rather quickly as well.