Sabrowski (elbow) headed to IL as Guards' strong 'pen loses key lefty

CLEVELAND -- A Guardians bullpen that has been rolling this month will be without setup man Erik Sabrowski for the foreseeable future.

The Guardians placed Sabrowski on the 15-day injured list on Monday (retroactive to May 22) with left elbow inflammation, and in a corresponding move recalled right-hander Codi Heuer from Triple-A Columbus.

Sabrowski most recently pitched in Wednesday’s 3-2 win over the Tigers. He entered in the bottom of the ninth inning and walked two batters and struck out one before manager Stephen Vogt brought in right-hander Colin Holderman.

Vogt noted Monday that Sabrowski said his elbow was “a little sore” when he came off the mound in Detroit. The lefty was down for workload considerations on Thursday and did not pitch on Friday or Saturday. Sunday was the first instance that Cleveland opted to stay away from him to give him an extra day of rest, according to Vogt.

“He just wasn't feeling better, so he got an MRI this morning,” Vogt said prior to Monday’s series opener against the Nationals at Progressive Field. “We don't have the results back yet, but [it’s] left elbow inflammation. It's one of those things with Erik, especially with his history, the right thing to do is to put him on the IL right now.”

Vogt said the Guardians will know more on Tuesday after they get Sabrowski’s MRI results back. The left-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018 (while he was in college) and in ’21 (while he was in the Padres’ farm system), hence why Cleveland is operating with caution here.

The Guardians’ bullpen has been very efficient in May; it entered Monday with a 2.77 ERA (seventh in MLB) and 96 strikeouts (tied for third with the Mets). Sabrowski has been a key cog to the group all season. Entering Monday, he and Cade Smith were tied for the team lead with 25 appearances. In 21 innings, Sabrowski has logged a 1.71 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP, with 39 strikeouts and just 13 walks.

Sabrowski going on the IL leaves two lefties in the bullpen in Tim Herrin and Logan Allen, who was in Columbus’ rotation before Cleveland recalled him on Sunday. Allen offers length, but the Guardians will have to fill Sabrowski’s void in high-leverage situations.

Hunter Gaddis (1.29 ERA over his past seven appearances, entering Monday), Colin Holderman (1.47 ERA in 14 outings this season) and veteran Shawn Armstrong are guys whom the Guardians figure to lean on. But Vogt constantly preaches how the club trusts each of its relievers to pitch in any situation, and they’ll need others to step up with Sabrowski sidelined.

“Anytime you lose somebody off the big league team, it's going to hurt,” Vogt said. “But we believe that the other guys in our bullpen are going to step up. We've got a lot of really good leverage arms out there.”

Naylor joining Columbus
Vogt noted catcher Bo Naylor is reporting to Triple-A Columbus and would be with the Clippers beginning Monday.

The Guardians optioned Naylor to Columbus on May 9 after they acquired catcher Patrick Bailey from the Giants. Naylor, however, first reported to Arizona to work with the organization’s coaches and resources there. Vogt noted Naylor has been working closely with Guardians hitting coordinator Craig Massoni and focusing on his swing.

It will be interesting to monitor how the Guardians manage their catchers’ playing time in Columbus. The Clippers’ roster also includes Cooper Ingle (ranked as the Guardians’ No. 4 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 73 overall prospect) and Kody Huff, another catching prospect whom the organization holds in high regard. Huff has also played first and third base with the Clippers this season, which could help alleviate the logjam.

Arias progressing
Vogt said shortstop Gabriel Arias (who’s on the IL with a left hamstring strain) is doing well and progressing. He’s been hitting in the cage and doing baseball activities on the field, and is trending toward returning to game action. There is not an exact timetable.

The question is what that process looks like for Arias and the Guardians. Brayan Rocchio shifted from second base to his natural position of shortstop after Arias went on the IL on April 7. Rocchio has been stellar offensively, as has Travis Bazzana -- who has locked down second base since he made his MLB debut on April 28.

Entering Monday, Rocchio was hitting .286 with a .781 OPS in 52 games, while Bazzana was hitting .294 with an .824 OPS in 24 games. Once the time comes, the Guardians will have some stuff to figure out.