The Cleveland Guardians have a shot at making the postseason in 2024, but they need most of their players to stay healthy and avoid long-term absences.
One of those players who needs to be healthy and consistent for the bullpen to hit its ceiling is James Karinchak.
At his best, he can pitch to a 2.67 ERA with a strikeout rate well over 30 percent, like he did in 2020.
At his worst, however, the right-hander will completely lose the strike zone, like what happened in 2023.
He was having a good offseason and looking good in early bullpens when he reported shoulder fatigue in mid-February.
The Guardians shut him down for some time.
Now, after nearly one month of being out, he will start throwing again, according to Guardians insider Mandy Bell.
“James Karinchak has been cleared to begin his throwing progression,” she tweeted.
James Karinchak has been cleared to begin his throwing progression.
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) March 11, 2024
The Guardians take the field on Opening Day on March 28 against the Oakland Athletics.
That is 17 days from now: it’s not a given that Karinchak is ready by then.
Shoulder soreness shouldn’t be taken lightly, so the team should proceed with caution and let him restart his throwing progression slowly.
If he isn’t ready by late-March, it shouldn’t be much longer since relievers take shorter to get ready than starters.
With a career 3.10 ERA in 165.2 innings (all with the Guardians), Karinchak is one of their top bullpen arms.
The Guardians, however, showed last year that they won’t hesitate to send him down if they feel he isn’t finding the zone.
If he manages to throw strikes with frequency, this unit could be very, very good because few pitchers in Cleveland’s relief corps have his upside.
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