Gaddis joins Guards in Atlanta, could be activated soon

ATLANTA -- The Guardians’ trip to Atlanta this weekend also marked an opportunity for Hunter Gaddis to return home. And it might not be long before the stout setup man returns to the mound for Cleveland.

Gaddis joined the Guardians in Atlanta ahead of their matchup against the Braves on Saturday. The Georgia native remains on the 15-day injured list with right forearm tightness, but it appears there’s a chance he could be activated in the coming days.

The Guardians have four games remaining on their road trip, including three against the Cardinals in St. Louis beginning Monday. Gaddis, meanwhile, has already made five appearances on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus, most recently on Thursday against Worcester.

“He’s good. Obviously, he's not active tonight,” manager Stephen Vogt said pregame Saturday. “We just thought he threw in Worcester, and he's from here, [so let’s] get him here, get him with the guys.

“We’re kind of going day by day right now with Gaddy. But he's feeling good. He said he felt really, really good his last couple times out.”

Gaddis (who has a 2.29 ERA in 151 appearances the past two seasons) made one appearance this spring, on Feb. 27 against the Cubs. The forearm issue cropped up following that outing, which, understandably, could be cause for concern for any pitcher. Gaddis’ imaging came back clean, and he has been steadily building up since.

Gaddis threw one inning in four of his five appearances with Columbus and allowed five runs on six hits and three walks over 4 1/3 innings. Of course, the most important part was the physical side of things, and Gaddis is doing well.

“My body feels good. It definitely feels good to be somewhere warm right now, that's for sure, Gaddis said while smiling. “I feel good. I'm ready to go whenever called upon.”

Gaddis threw a side session on Saturday to get some throwing in off the mound rather than a flat surface. He was first eligible to be activated on Monday. His return could be a boon for the Guardians’ bullpen, both in his presence as a setup man and in a bullpen that has run a bit hot in the early going.

The Guardians are in a 13-game stretch without a day off right now. They also played a doubleheader this past Saturday against the Cubs. Relievers Cade Smith, Shawn Armstrong and Erik Sabrowski each entered Saturday having already made seven appearances.

“That's just the nature of the beast, but we also have to be mindful of how much we're using guys,” Vogt said. “It does change some things when you're at the beginning of 13 in a row, at the beginning of the season. These guys aren't in three out of four [games pitched] territory yet. We don't want them to be there yet. So, you may have to think about things a little bit differently. But [the goal is] still ‘Win the game tonight.’”

Gaddis, who was born in Canton, Ga., was happy to be home.

“It's really cool to come back and smell some Georgia air again, that's for sure,” Gaddis said.