The Cleveland Guardians entered the season with a trio of excellent pitchers at the top of their rotation.
The three of them had the potential to be aces or performed as such at some point in the last year or two.
We are talking about Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie, and Tanner Bibee.
But Bieber went down with an arm injury after two starts and McKenzie, probably affected by a ligament problem in his elbow, has been so inconsistent that he had to be sent to Triple-A.
Only Bibee and his 3.77 ERA has been available and consistent.
McKenzie has made two starts in Triple-A after being demoted, with the most recent coming on Friday.
It’s fair to say the results haven’t been there.
“Cleveland #Guardians RHP Triston McKenzie’s final line in his second start for Columbus tonight at Indianapolis. Line – 4.0(IP), 6H, 4R, 4ER, 1BB, 5SO (79 Pitches 51 Strikes),” Guardians Prospective tweeted.
Cleveland #Guardians RHP Triston McKenzie's final line in his second start for Columbus tonight at Indianapolis.
Line – 4.0(IP) 6H 4R 4ER 1BB 5SO (79 Pitches 51 Strikes)
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) July 12, 2024
In his first start in Triple-A, he kept the opposition to an acceptable three runs in 5.1 innings, but allowed two home runs which is far from ideal.
On Friday, he kept the homers in check but allowed too many hits and traffic on the bases.
He hasn’t stopped missing bats, but he will need to be much, much better if he is going to regain his spot back in the Guardians rotation eventually.
Perhaps if he was fully healthy, things would be been different, but it’s hard to be successful as a pitcher with a torn ligament in the elbow.
Maybe it’s time to start seriously considering surgery as an option.
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