AL Central Notes: Guardians, McKenzie, Twins, Shaw

the Guardians It appears he’s mostly finished off the Opening Day roster, although baseball operations chief Chris Antonetti pointed out to reporters (Including Mandy Bell from MLB.com) that “there is some chance that we will make an outside acquisition, and if we do, it will affect the composition of our roster.”

Barring such an acquisition, it seems likely that Cleveland will open the season with three catchers on their roster, as Cam Gallagher And Mypress filoria He appears set to make the team and back up the starting catcher Mike Zunino. With multiple backup options, the Guardians are hoping Zunino will have a lighter workload in 2023 after missing the second half of the 2022 season due to surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. This comes at the expense of depth on and off the field, however, as well Gabriel Arias NPCs to be the only player on the bench, with Will Brennan The only defensive player. On the other hand, it should help both youngsters get extra playtime to aid their development. This is especially important for Arias, who played just 82 games last year between Triple A and the major leagues after missing the injured list for two months last season.

More around downtown…

• stick b GuardiansAs manager Terry Francona told reporters, Including Billthat’s right Triston McKenzie He was dealing with a tight right arm that pulled him from his start today after just one round. McKenzie figures he’ll be a major cog ahead of the Cleveland tournament this year after he posted a 2.96 ERA in 191 1/3 innings of work last season, as long as his current illness doesn’t prove more serious than he first thought. In the event that Mackenzie loses time, the club could look for a depth option such as Connor Pilkington or Jason Bellos to fill Mackenzie’s place in the rotation.
• The Minnesota opening show crew is more focused today, as twins call Billy Uber to Triple-A, According to Dan Hayes of The AthleticAfter their decision to re-appoint Jeff HoffmanAnd According to Betsy Helvand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Uber figured being kept out of the Minnesota rotation picture after the club’s acquisition of Pablo Lopez From the Marlins earlier this season, he’ll serve as a triple-A depth after pitching 11 starts in 2022 as he posted a solid 3.21 ERA (120 ERA+) in 56 innings of work. Meanwhile, Hoffman signed a minor league deal with the Twins last month in order to compete for a long relief role in the Twins bullpen. Rather, the right hand Cole Sands He appears set to fill the role, leaving Hoffman to decide whether or not to take advantage of the no-go clause next Tuesday.
• Shortly after being alerted that he would not be making the Opening Day roster, he white stockings announce They released the right hand Brian Shaw from his minor league deal with the club. Veteran Shaw sports a 3.92 ERA in 714 2/3 innings of work over his career and is now ready to look for another club interested in his services for the 35-year-old season. Shaw made a strong case for himself this spring, hitting a 1.08 ERA in 8 1/3 innings pitched during camp.