Guardians' latest DFA should only be temporary ending to amazing comeback story

On Tuesday, Nic Enright’s second journey with the Cleveland Guardians came to an end when the team designated him for assignment so they could have more space to protect prospects from the Rule 5 Draft. 

But that doesn’t mean that his journey with the Guardians needs to end there. 

Although any team is free to grab Enright on waivers, he may not have a ton of suitors considering he’d need to take up a roster spot all offseason despite not being able to pitch next season thanks to Tommy John surgery (which is why the Guardians DFA’d him). 

If Enright does in fact clear waivers, then he’d be free to sign with any team, and the Guardians seem poised to step to the front of the line to re-sign him. Enright would likely have to sign a multi-year minor league deal since he won’t be able to pitch next season. 

The Guardians initially drafted Enright in 2019 before the Marlins selected him in the Rule 5 Draft in December 2022. He never appeared in a major league game for the Marlins and was returned to Cleveland midway through the 2023 season.  

Nic Enright could return to the Guardians on a minor league deal 

While Enright was DFA’d, it wasn’t because he was a bad pitcher or not worth rehabbing — it was purely a matter of roster space. There’s no injured list during the offseason, so every player who spent the year rehabbing needs to re-join the roster. 

Enright survived the first roster crunch earlier this offseason when the Guardians reinstated Will Brennan, Sam Hentges and Andrew Walters from the 60-day IL, but he was caught on the outside looking in after the Guardians’ front office elected to add Austin Peterson, Khalil Watson, Angel Geano and Yorman Gómez from the Rule 5 Draft. 

The Guardians only had three open spots on the 40-man, so Enright was the odd man out. 

The Guardians should re-sign Nic Enright this offseason

Enright returning to Cleveland would be a clear win-win for both sides. Enright is obviously familiar with the club and just finished a season that showed how good he can be in the Guardians’ pitching factory. 

Last year, Enright posted a 2.03 ERA in 31 innings with the Guardians to go along with a 23.6% strikeout rate. He held opposing hitters to an expected batting average against of .230. 

But his season hit a roadblock in September when he was placed on the injured list with elbow inflammation that eventually led to him undergoing Tommy John surgery in October. 

Perseverance is nothing new to Enright, who was diagnosed with Stage 2 nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2022 and has continued to pave his big league path despite undergoing rounds of immunotherapy treatments.

Although the Guardians have plenty of bullpen options with multiple years of team control, Enright was beginning to look like a medium-leverage gem in the middle of Cleveland’s bullpen. Reuniting with him on a minor league pact that allows for him to rehab his injury is the best way to ensure that rise can continue despite his injury.