Guardians make official roster move after unfortunate Emmanuel Clase news

At the beginning of July, the Cleveland Guardians surprisingly sent Tim Herrin down to Triple-A one year after he was a key cog in their dominant bullpen. Less than a month later, Herrin is back in Cleveland’s bullpen — albeit in a way that no one expected. 

On Monday, the team announced that Herrin had been recalled to take the place of closer Emmanuel Clase, who has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of MLB's sports betting investigation.

Guardians make official roster move after unfortunate Emmanuel Clase news

Herrin, 28, posted a 3.99 ERA in 29 1/3 innings with Cleveland this season prior to being demoted. He had a sparkling 1.92 ERA in 65 2/3 innings last year in Cleveland’s march toward the American League Championship Series. 

It remains to be seen how the Guardians will use Herrin in their new-look bullpen. He got plenty of work prior to being sent down to Triple-A (he had the fourth-most appearances on the team at the time of his demotion), and was a key high-leverage arm in his breakout 2024 season. 

He only appeared in four games for Triple-A Columbus and posted a 4.50 ERA.

This isn’t the first time that Herrin’s season has been impacted by a teammate getting involved in a gambling scandal. Luis Ortiz got suspended for gambling at the beginning of the month, which eventually led to the roster move that got Herrin demoted to Triple-A. 

The Guardians needed to free a roster spot for Kolby Allard (who had been DFA’d following Ortiz’s suspension), and it came at the expense of Herrin. Herrin will join a bullpen that is still a strength for the Guardians, even if they’ll be scrambling to fill spots without Clase. 

The biggest thing to watch with Herrin will be his command, as he allowed 22 walks this year after giving up just 25 walks across all of 2024. He’s now one of two left-handed options in Cleveland’s bullpen along with Allard, who has a 2.83 in 41 1/3 innings while mostly working as a long-relief option. 

He should also have a pretty long leash given the lack of options at Triple-A. Zak Kent has earned some MLB opportunities this year, but he’s mostly utilized as the 27th man for a doubleheader. 

Doug Nikhazy is another left-handed option who worked out of the bullpen in his last MLB option, but the team may still want him to get a chance to work in the starting rotation. 

But regardless, the one bright spot of Clase’s suspension is that it gives Herrin a runway to prove that last year was more than just a one-off. And the Guardians will need all they can get from Herrin as they look to stay afloat in the American League postseason race.