Guards' 'pen gets a boost with return of setup man Sabrowski

HOUSTON -- The way manager Stephen Vogt described how much setup man Erik Sabrowski meant to the Guardians before he went on the injured list last month tells you all you need to know about how happy Cleveland is to have him back.

“He was probably the best reliever in baseball,” Vogt said Friday.

In a big boost for their bullpen, the Guardians activated Sabrowski off the 15-day injured list prior to Friday’s series opener against the Astros at Daikin Park. In a corresponding move, lefty Will Dion was optioned to Triple-A Columbus.

Sabrowski emerged as one of Vogt’s most trusted high high-leverage relievers and bridge guys to closer Cade Smith prior to going on the IL on May 25 due to left elbow inflammation. Over 25 appearances this season, the 28-year-old has a 1.71 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP with 39 strikeouts and 13 walks over 21 innings.

“It's nice to be back,” Sabrowski said. “You never want to miss time, but it's kind of just the hand that was dealt to me. I feel like we played it right. It’s just good to be back.”

Sabrowski dealt with some soreness coming off the mound from his outing on May 20 against the Tigers. He underwent an MRI which confirmed his elbow inflammation but showed no structural damage -- a relief given he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018 and in '21.

Sabrowski noted after he went on the IL that he dealt with a similar issue in Spring Training last year, when he did not make his season debut until June 27. But he expressed confidence he would not be sidelined too long this time around. He was already built up workload-wise.

“Last year, I hadn't even faced hitters yet in Spring Training,” Sabrowski said Friday. “So that, coupled with the time off, kind of made me have to repeat Spring Training. Whereas this year I had thrown a bunch of times in the big leagues already. So it was probably able to be a quicker buildup, which you saw.”

Sabrowski made just one appearance on a rehab assignment (Wednesday with Double-A Akron) before he was activated. That followed him throwing two bullpen sessions and a live batting practice last week. The latter came in place of a scheduled rehab appearance Sunday with High-A Lake County, which was rained out.

Sabrowski was pleased with how he and the team handled his injury and absence. His return gives Vogt another reliable arm in the late innings, and one who has been tough on both right-handed hitters (.445 OPS against) and lefties (.348 this season). He joins a Guardians bullpen that entered Friday tied with the Cubs for 10th in MLB in relief ERA (3.66).

“Obviously, we're going to have to be thoughtful about how we get him back in, as far as how often we use him,” Vogt said. “But Erik’s back, he's healthy and he's available. We're really excited about that.”

Dion made six appearances with the Guardians, including his MLB debut on May 26. He logged a 5.56 ERA with 13 strikeouts and three walks in 11 1/3 innings.