Could this forgotten Guardians starter help this year’s postseason push? 

The last time we saw Triston McKenzie on a major league mound, the results weren’t pretty. 

After breaking camp with the Guardians in spring training, the 28-year-old struggled in five games before being designated for assignment in the middle of April. 

The DFA marked a fall from grace for the former first-round pick who seemed to be the future of the Guardians’ rotation at one point.

But he seems to be a step closer to making his major league return for the Guardians, as the team promoted him to Triple-A Columbus on Sunday from the Arizona Complex League. 

Could Triston McKenzie help this year’s postseason push? 

First off, it’s worth pointing out that part of the reason for McKenzie’s promotion is due to the fact the Arizona Complex season ended, which Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes pointed out earlier this week.  

But, even with that, it’s still a great sign to see McKenzie a step away from the big leagues again. The Guardians elected to send him to Arizona after he cleared waivers in the hope that the lack of attention and pressure would help him recapture the form that he’s lost over the past two years. 

McKenzie posted a 6.91 ERA in 14 1/3 innings in the Rookie Complex this year, and was recently pitching in “bridge games” for the Guardians.

At this point, the biggest thing that could help McKenzie get back to his ace-like status will be a return to his fastball being a wipeout pitch. While he never had the fastest heater, his slender frame and long extension helped his stuff get on hitters quicker than they’d expect.

While his fastball averaged 93.7 miles per hour earlier this year (marking the fastest it’s been since he entered MLB), he was leaving it over the heart of the plate, which led to far too much hard contact. 

McKenzie burst onto the scene with a 10-strikeout game in his debut in 2020 and looked like a budding ace in 2022 when he recorded a 2.96 ERA with 190 strikeouts. He looked so much like an ace that the Guardians approached him about extension talks, though no deal was reached. 

That 2023 season marked the beginning of the end for McKenzie. He missed a good portion of the season due to elbow and shoulder injuries, and elected to spend the offseason rehabbing from his injuries instead of undergoing Tommy John surgery. 

He looked like a shell of himself when he returned to the mound in 2024, and that’s carried over into this season. He has a 5.53 ERA across 81 1/3 innings since the start of 2024.

Even with this promotion, McKenzie pitching for the Guardians this year feels like a longshot. While the Guardians freed up a spot in their rotation on Sunday by sending Joey Cantillo to Triple-A, that seems like a spot where the team might elect to go with Parker Messick (who is slated to start that day for Triple-A) or go with a couple bullpen days to keep the seat warm for John Means. 

McKenzie is due to be a minor-league free agent at the end of the season and would be free to sign with any team, so his time in Triple-A will also be a showcase to the other 29 teams in baseball as much as it will be for the Guardians. 

While McKenzie’s career hasn’t gone how anyone planned it, Sunday’s move sets him up with an opportunity to help turn things around, even if it likely won’t result in him helping the Guardians this year.