Guardians’ latest Slade Cecconi decision means another bullpen change could be on the horizon

On Tuesday, the Cleveland Guardians went against the grain by calling up reliever Carlos Hernández to fill one of the two roster spots they gained when the calendar turned to September. 

Although Hernández boasts some serious swing-and-miss potential, he was never considered as an actual option due the presence of other established options in the minors starting with Franco Aleman and Daniel Espino. 

They also had another option in converted reliever Slade Cecconi, who has been in Triple-A on a rehab assignment due to an arm injury. 

But, instead of calling up Cecconi to be another long relief option in the bullpen, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said that he’s going to make one more relief appearance at Triple-A before getting called up. 

Even if Cecconi isn’t on the Guardians’ current roster, Vogt’s comments all but confirm that we’re going to see him back with Cleveland soon. Here’s a look at how things could look for him once he gets called up. 

Slade Cecconi could be an X-factor for the Guardians in September

It may not seem like it, but the Guardians’ decision to call up Hernández provides them a bit more flexibility. They had a free 40-man roster spot since they designated Gabriel Arias for assignment, so Hernández’s addition didn’t come at anyone else’s roster spot. 

Even if Hernández doesn’t have any minor league options remaining, current Guardians long reliever Logan Lallen does, so the Guardians could add Ceconi in his spot while still holding onto Hernández to see what he can bring to the table. 

And it’s not like they don’t have other options if Hernández doesn’t pan out. 

Daniel Espino is finally healthy and flashed some great stuff in his short (and inconsistent) time with the Guardians earlier this year, while Aleman has worked seen some time as both a single-and-multi inning relief option. 

Another thing that could have impacted the Guardians’ decision is their upcoming  doubleheader against the Tigers on Friday, which will give the Guardians another roster spot to play with. 

Cecconi stands out as an obvious option for that promotion, especially if his rehab appearance comes later today.  

The one thing working in Hernández’s favor is that the Guardians only have 25 games left before the end of the season gets here. Hopefully his promotion brings about an end to what's been a never-ending spin cycle in the Guardians’ low-leverage relief picture

Hernández’s Guardians are going to need to make some kind of final decision about that picture ahead of the start of the postseason. 

Even if Hernández is getting the first crack at locking down that spot, Vogt all but told us that Cecconi is going to be a part of that picture at some point in the next couple weeks. 

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