GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Guardians saw things they liked from Trevor Stephan this spring. But they hope there are more steps for the right-hander to take as he pushes to regain the form that made him one of Cleveland’s top relievers in the recent past.
The Guardians reassigned Stephan (who was a non-roster invitee in camp) to Minor League camp on Thursday in their latest wave of cuts from their big league camp. They also optioned infielder Juan Brito to Triple-A Columbus.
“With Steph, we’re seeing the pitchability is there,” manager Stephen Vogt told reporters on Thursday. “The execution is there, the movement on his offspeed is there. It’s just not coming out the way he would like it to, or we would like it to.
“We’re still putting together what the next steps are for him, just to try to help him regain that velocity and kind of get the stuff. He’s understanding of where he is. We’re all rooting for Steph to get back on the right track."
Stephan (who allowed one run on three hits and four walks with five strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings this spring) underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2024 and missed the entire season. He returned to game action in June 2025 on a Minor League rehab assignment, but has struggled to regain the velocity he held pre-surgery.
Stephan’s four-seam fastball averaged 94.9 mph in 2023. It averaged 91.8 mph over 19 appearances with Triple-A Columbus in '25, and averaged 90.7 mph over four appearances this spring.
Stephan said earlier this spring he entered camp feeling good. He felt like he was using his body better and that his elbow was handling the load of pitching better. He noted he was healthy when he returned to the mound last year, but he did not feel like himself and was searching a lot. It was a reminder that Tommy John recoveries are not uniform.
“It kicked my ass, honestly,” Stephan said earlier this spring. “It felt like I should have been ahead of where I was, and I felt like it was just a slow process for me.”
Stephan recorded a 3.73 ERA in 180 appearances from 2021-23, which included a 2.69 ERA over 66 appearances in '22. In four postseason appearances that year, he struck out 11 batters with just one walk over 5 2/3 scoreless innings.
In 2023, the Guardians signed Stephan to a four-year, $10 million contract extension through '26 that includes club options for '27 and '28. Cleveland outrighted the right-hander to Columbus on Aug. 15 last season, but his contract includes a $3.75 million salary this year.
Brito went 4-for-26 with 11 strikeouts over 13 games this spring. It was his return to game action following his injury-riddled 2025 season, in which he was limited to 31 games. He missed two months after undergoing right thumb surgery in April, and suffered a left hamstring strain injury in July that led to season-ending surgery in September.
By opening with Columbus, Brito has a chance to get steady at-bats and bounce around the diamond, between second, third and first base, and potentially right field.
“We know what he's capable of,” Vogt told reporters. “He just needs to get more at-bats. He lost a lot of at-bats last year. We know that there's still a really good player there, and we're excited about him.”
Welcome back
Of course he did.
José Ramírez made his return to the Guardians’ starting lineup on Thursday for the first time since his left shoulder scare on Sunday. And in his first at-bat, he crushed a solo home run off Royals starter Noah Cameron.
Ramírez’s homer was a no-doubter, too. He got a four-seam fastball from Cameron on the inner half of the plate and logged a 110.0 mph exit velocity.
Ramírez jammed his shoulder sliding into third base in Sunday’s 12-6 win over the A’s. It forced him to exit the game early and caused Guardians fans to hold their breath until we learned more about his status on Monday. Ramírez had some inflammation, but ultimately was considered day to day and was only out of the lineup for two games.
Wednesday’s off-day gave Ramírez three days to rest. And as we saw Thursday, he sure looks Opening Day ready.