Guardians Manager Drops Bold Claim on Embattled Pitcher

Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt has delivered a strong claim one of his pitchers heading into the 2025 MLB season.

Sep 4, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) watches from the dugout against the Kansas City Royals prior to a game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The last couple of years have certainly not been fun for Cleveland Guardians pitcher Triston McKenzie. Injuries limited him to just four starts in 2023, and last season, he struggled in 16 outings before being demoted.

The 2025 campaign will be a pivotal one for McKenzie, who is being expected to contribute to a Guardians starting rotation that needs significant help.

He made his first start of spring training over the weekend and showed some positive signs, as his fastball was touching 95 mph and he looked considerably more comfortable on the mound.

Albeit, McKenzie only worked two innings, but it was still an indication that the 27-year-old may be trending in the right direction.

Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt already sees the difference in his right-hander, and he feels that McKenzie already looks improved.

“It’s a different person out there right now,” Vogt said, via Zack Meisel of The Athletic.

McKenzie went 3-5 with a 5.11 ERA while allowing 69 hits and registering 74 strikeouts over 75.2 innings of work in 2024. He issued 49 walks and logged a 1.559 WHIP while also finishing with an alarmingly high 6.46 FIP.

So, yeah; he wasn't good last year.

However, McKenzie has been a dominant hurler in the past, like in 2022 when he pitched to the tune of a 2.96 ERA while recording a minuscule 0.951 WHIP across 30 starts.

Perhaps the Brooklyn native can rediscover the stuff that once made him a top prospect, but he obviously still has a long road ahead of him.

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