Guardians place RHP Cody Morris on 60-day IL to make room for Bryan Shaw

Pitcher Cody Morris has a chance to make an impact in Cleveland this season, but he’ll have to wait after straining his throwing shoulder.

In what can only be described as an extreme bummer, the Cleveland Guardians have placed pitcher Cody Morris on the 60-day IL, making room for the newly re-signed Bryan Shaw.

The bummer doesn’t come from bringing back Shaw, who will provide a much-needed veteran presence in the bullpen, but in the injury to Morris, who was excellent in the minors in 2021 and was thought to be a potential breakout candidate in 2022.

Morris, 25, strained the teres major muscle in his throwing shoulder and will be shut down from throwing for 4-6 weeks before being re-evaluated. It’s a major blow to Morris, who put up an impressive 1.62 ERA in 61 innings across three levels of the Guardians’ farm system last season, including nine appearances at Triple-A Columbus, where he maintained a 2.70 ERA.

Morris was also added to the team’s 40-man roster this offseason, fueling the notion that he could have potentially opened the season in the bullpen and even provided depth help in the rotation when needed. For now, though, that chance will have to wait.

By placing Morris on the 60-day IL, Shaw is able to slide back onto the 40-man roster. In his second stint with Cleveland last season, Shaw put up a 3.49 ERA while leading all of baseball with 81 appearances.