Guardians legend has career change come full circle after joining Cleveland's staff

Corey Kluber is back in Cleveland, but this time, his duties will be a little bit different than before. Kluber is rejoining the Guardians as a special assistant to manager Stephen Vogt, with his primary focus being the pitching staff, per an announcement from the team.

With his playing days officially behind him, Kluber needed to find a constructive way to spend his time, and coming back to Cleveland made the most sense. Kluber officially being brought on in any capacity should not be surprising to anyone, considering that he has already been spotted a few times earlier this season. The Guardians making him an official part of their organization was the only thing missing, and that has now been taken care of.

Kluber spent his first nine major league seasons in Cleveland, taking on the role of ace of their pitching staff during that time, including the team's run to the 2016 World Series. In 208 appearances in Cleveland (203 starts), Kluber pitched to a 3.16 ERA, 1.086 WHIP, and 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings pitched en route to two American League Cy Young Awards and two other top-three finishes.

Even though Kluber's time in Cleveland came to an end after an injury-shortened 2019 season, the now-Guardians are still to this day receiving benefits from his time with the organization. Cleveland traded Kluber to the Texas Rangers in December of 2019, receiving closer Emmanuel Clase and outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. in exchange for the two-time Cy Young-winner. Clase has gone on to become the best closer in franchise history, while Kluber rarely experienced the same highs he did in Cleveland.

After pitching just 1 inning for the Rangers after landing in Texas due to an injury, Kluber would bounce around the AL East for the next three seasons, spending time with the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, and Boston Red Sox before retiring after the 2023 season. Kluber would go on to pitch his first and only no-hitter with the Yankees, with the one walk issued being the only difference between his outing and a perfect game.

Now that Kluber is back in Cleveland, he can build upon his legacy, albeit in a much different capacity. With Kluber having faced plenty of batters still playing today and knowing what is required to get these players out in the current environment, he should be able to provide hands-on information to the Guardians' pitching staff that may be more applicable to the modern game than what may be coming from others in Cleveland's dugout, and that could prove to be incredibly valuable throughout the course of this season.