Guardians recall Heuer, option Aleman as end of taxing stretch nears

CLEVELAND -- With the Guardians nearing the finish line of a stretch of 13 games in as many days, their bullpen has been running a bit hot. That was the backdrop to a series of roster moves prior to Wednesday’s series finale against the Angels.

The Guardians have recalled right-hander Codi Heuer from Triple-A Columbus and optioned right-hander Franco Aleman to the Clippers. Heuer is with the club and could make his Guardians debut as soon as Wednesday.

“It’s just the position we're in right now,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “We needed some innings today with where the bullpen is. Codi will be with us, which we're really excited about. He had a great spring, off to a great start in Columbus. So really excited to have Codi here.”

The Guardians opened this 13-game stretch without an off-day on May 1 against the A’s in West Sacramento. Entering Wednesday, Cleveland’s bullpen has thrown the seventh-most innings in the Majors this month (44 2/3) while logging a 3.22 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP.

The bullpen’s heavy usage is the nature of a long stretch without an off-day. The Guardians’ rotation, similarly, has had a lot of work. It entered Wednesday having thrown the fifth-most innings in the Majors this month (62 1/3).

“We got running hot early, and then it's been a tough stretch,” Vogt said. “But the bullpen has been special during this and the starters have been good. Our guys have crushed this 13-game stretch. I'm really proud of them. We got to finish strong today and go into the off-day.”

Heuer was a non-roster invitee in Spring Training after the Guardians signed him to a Minor League deal on Dec. 22. The Guardians selected the 29-year-old to their 40-man roster on March 22 and optioned him to Columbus, for which he made 14 appearances and recorded a 2.57 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP with 12 strikeouts and seven walks over 14 innings.

Heuer has a 3.67 ERA in 89 career appearances with the White Sox (2020-21), Cubs ('21), Rangers and Tigers ('25). He missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery over the offseason and returned to game action in Triple-A for the Cubs' organization in '23. He made 15 appearances before he underwent season-ending surgery for a fractured right elbow.

Heuer's arsenal includes a slider (40.4 percent usage with Columbus, per Statcast), a four-seam fastball (39.3), changeup (10.7) and sinker (9.6) His four-seamer averaged 96.3 mph with the Clippers.

The Guardians promoted Aleman from Columbus on Friday and he made his MLB debut on Sunday. He allowed one run on three hits and one walk with one strikeout in 2 2/3 innings over two appearances. On Tuesday, he entered in the eighth inning with the Guardians leading, 3-1, and recorded a pair of outs after he surrendered a leadoff home run to Vaughn Grissom.

“Franco threw the ball excellent, two great outings,” Vogt said. “We threw him in the eighth inning in a two-run game, because we had that kind of confidence in him. We know Franco will be back to help us win a ton of games.”