The Cleveland Guardians, leaders of the AL Central division with a 5-3 record, were supposed to play against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. That didn’t happen, as they were rained out.
There is now a doubleheader scheduled for Sunday, and the Guardians will need a 27th man for it. They haven’t made any announcements, but a familiar face is back with the team after a short rehab stint in Triple-A and might get the nod.
“Guardians’ Hunter Gaddis is back with the team today,” team insider Mason Horodyski posted on X.
#Guardians Hunter Gaddis is back with the team today #GuardsBall x @WEWS pic.twitter.com/IF6LsgLWgE
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) April 4, 2026
Horodyski included a video of Gaddis, who suffered a right forearm strain in early March, throwing in the outfield at Progressive Field. There is a good chance he makes his official 2026 debut on Sunday, and if it doesn’t happen then, it will be very soon.
Gaddis first reported his symptoms on March 3, and the team, understandably, took things slow with him. He had to gradually work himself back into game shape, and that includes his most recent rehab stint in Columbus.
In terms of results, it wasn’t particularly successful, as he posted a 15.43 ERA in 2.1 innings, with three walks and three strikeouts. Still, the team appears to be confident with where he is at the moment, and they do have a need for his services on Sunday. The math checks out.
Gaddis had never experienced any injury issues during his short MLB career, but has pitched in 78 games for the Guardians in 2024 and 73 last year. Perhaps the forearm strain was his elbow giving him, and the team, a small warning.
It’s hard not to use him so frequently when he has been so successful, though. He posted a brilliant 1.57 ERA in 2024, after making the transition from failed starter to impact reliever, and was at 3.11 last year.
Gaddis has become the Guardians’ most reliable setup man in front of closer Cade Smith, and even though they haven’t missed him much this year, they definitely would if he were to miss a significant chunk of the season.
Thankfully for Cleveland, that doesn’t appear to be the case, and we should see him back to his best in a matter of a couple of weeks.
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