September can’t come soon enough for key players on the Guardians itching to get back on the active roster.
President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti gave encouraging progress reports on slugging first baseman Josh Naylor as well as starting pitchers Triston McKenzie and Shane Bieber on Aug. 20 before the Guardians were beaten 4-1 by the Detroit Tigers.
Naylor was placed on the 10-day injured list Aug. 4 because of a strained oblique. The Guardians have sorely missed his bat in the lineup hitting behind Jose Ramirez.
“Josh Naylor is taking swings in the cage and fielding ground balls,” Antonetti said. “Shane and Triston are both out to 120 feet in their long-toss programs. They’ll continue that this week. The next step will be to transition to bullpens.”
Naylor at .306 has the highest batting average on the team and he leads the Guardians with 79 RBI in 96 games.
Ramirez leads the Guardians with 18 home runs, but he hasn’t hit one since he slugged two in a game with the White Sox on July 30. Not coincidentally, Naylor played only two more games since then before the injury setback. Ramirez has only three RBI this month.
Bieber and McKenzie are recovering from right elbow injuries. McKenzie, 11-11 last season, has made only two starts in 2023. Bieber hasn’t pitched since July 9.
Antonetti gave his assessment before Cal Quantrill made a rehab start for Triple-A Columbus. It did not go well for the 28-year-old right-hander, who is on the shelf with a right shoulder injury for the second time this season. Quantrill pitched 5 1/3 innings against the Syracuse Mets and gave up six runs on six hits. The Triple-A Mets homered off him three times.
“We’ll have to see how he gets through today and then reassess,” said Antonetti. “But hopefully, he’s getting closer to his major league return.”
Quantrill did not pitch well when he was with the Guardians this season. After going 11-5 with a 3.46 ERA in 2022, he is 2-6 with a 6.45 ERA this season.
The Guardians were off on Aug. 21. They begin a three-game series with the Dodgers on Aug. 22 at Progressive Field.
Starting pitching is not the reason the Guardians are 59-66 and six games behind the Twins in the AL Central. Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen and Gavin Williams have filled in well. The Guardians are heading toward their worst season since Terry Francona began managing them in 2013 because they are an astoundingly bad 15-49 when they score three or fewer runs.
Still, the Guards would like to get Bieber and McKenzie back in the rotation next month — Bieber perhaps to show he is healthy again if they decide to trade him over the winter and McKenzie so the lanky right-hander can feel good about looking ahead to 2024.
“We have to make sure they check all the boxes in each phase and, thankfully, they’re both progressing well,” Antonetti said. “We do think, based upon the trajectory they’re on, they will return sometime in September.”
Other news involves the catchers. Cam Gallagher is recovering from a concussion. David Fry is dealing with a left hamstring injury.
“(Fry) is progressing really well,” Antonetti said. “He’s done a lot of high-speed running. He’ll progress to a base-running program and full-team workouts early this week.
“(Gallagher) is doing well coming back from the concussion. He’s ramping up his activities and making progress.”
In a related development, the Guardians claimed catcher Eric Haase on waivers from the Tigers and designated catcher Zack Collins for assignment. Haase, who played with the Guardians in 2018 and 2019, was hitting .201 with four home runs and 26 RBI in 86 games with the Tigers this season.
DODGERS AT GUARDIANS
When: 7:10 p.m., Aug. 22
Where: Progressive Field
Pitchers: Dodgers — Bobby Miller (7-2, 3.70 ERA); Guardians — Noah Syndergaard (2-6, 6.57)
Records: Dodgers 76-47, Guardians 59-66
TV: Bally Sports Great Lakes
