Could this Guardians pitching prospect make his major league debut later this week? 

On Sunday, the Guardians optioned starting pitcher Joey Cantillo to Triple-A in a bit of a head-scratching move. 

While Cantillo still has some room to grow as a starter, he’s posted a 3.55 ERA across his last five starts, and has helped stabilize the rotation since Luis Ortiz was placed on administrative leave. 

But it seems like there may be more than meets the eye when it comes to Cantillo’s demotion. On Sunday, Guardians assistant general manager Matt Forman spoke to the team’s beat, where he provided a bit of an eye-opening quote. 

“Decisions like this are tough,” Forman said, per The Athletic’s Zack Mesiel. “There are a lot of factors that go into those. We’re balancing winning and development.”

Well, okay then. 

While that quote leads to some interesting questions — where does Cantillo fall into that balance, for starters — the biggest question is a short-term one: Who will start for the Guardians on Wednesday? 

And, if you read the tea leaves, it seems like there’s a chance that spot could be filled by top prospect Parker Messick. 

Could Parker Messick make his major league debut later this week? 

Wednesday’s game would have been Cantillo’s turn through the rotation, so the Guardians will need to make some kind of move to fill the spot. While there’s always a chance they could go with a bullpen game started by Kolby Allard, Messick stands out as an option. 

Messick, who is currently ranked as Cleveland’s No. 12 prospect per MLB Pipeline, has posted a 3.47 ERA in 98 2/3 innings with Triple-A Columbus this year and played for the American League in the Futures Game earlier this summer. 

The Guardians would only need to make a 26-man roster move to add Messick to the roster since they already have a 40-man roster spot open. Messick’s last start in Triple-A came on Thursday, so a potential start on Wednesday would come with an extra day of rest. 

As for Cantillo, Sunday’s demotion is another interesting wrinkle in Cantillo’s season. After starting the year in the bullpen, the Guardians sent him down to Triple-A at the end of May to get stretched out as a starter.

He only ended up making four appearances with Columbus due to shoulder trouble before being recalled at the beginning of July in response to Luis Ortiz’s suspension. 

He’s posted a 4.03 ERA in 38 innings since. He racked up 44 strikeouts in those 38 innings, but also gave up 22 walks, which was part of the reason for his demotion. 

“Joey came up and helped us win games in the rotation. At the same time, we think there’s more in there for Joey,” Forman said. “He’s had swing-and-miss-caliber stuff. When he’s in the strike zone, he can be a really effective Major League starting pitcher. That will really be Joey’s next step in his development when he goes back to Columbus.”

It’s also worth noting the team has starting pitcher John Means as an option for the future. While Means is still in the rehab process, he tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings for High-A Lake County on Friday and is set to make another rehab start later this week. 

The Guardians couldn’t get much to go right last weekend in their series against the Braves, but adding a starter like Messick into the fold could provide the team with a much-needed shot in the arm as they head into a crucial part of their schedule.