Guardians next Andrew Walters decision is clear after pitcher’s latest injury update 

On May 30, 2025, Andrew Walters walked off Progressive Field’s mound with Stephen Vogt, Carl Willis and the Guardians' training staff after he was in immediate pain after throwing a pitch against the Angels. 

He hasn’t appeared on a big league mound since, and we won’t be seeing him on one any time soon. 

On Wednesday, Walters’ 2026 season officially came to an end when he underwent internal brace surgery on his right elbow. The injury should keep him out for most of 2027 as well, meaning Walters may go nearly three years between big league appearances (if he ever makes his return). 

Even though Walters has shown that he can be a dominant pitcher, Walters’ latest injury all but confirms he won’t last the offseason on Cleveland’s roster. 

It's time for the Guardians to cut bait with Andrew Walters

Although the Guardians kept Walters on their roster for the entirety of last offseason, it seemed like he was going to fit into the Guardians’ pitching plans at some point this season. His UCL surgery removes all of that for next year, since we already know that he’s going to be out for all of the 2027 season. 

The UCL surgery is another injury setback for Walters, who has recorded just 10 big league innings since making his debut late in 2024. 

The Guardians called him up midway through September 2024 in place of Alex Cobb, and he recorded 8 2/3 scoreless innings en route to earning a spot on the team’s postseason roster. 

Although he only spent three weeks on the Guardians’ roster, it looked like he was going to be a key cog in their bullpen for years to come. 

But he started Triple-A in the minors after suffering an arm injury midway through spring training. He got called up at the end of May and made two appearances before suffering that lat injury that ended his season. 

Although that injury was another frustrating setback, it seemed to have a clear end date, which explained why the Guardians rolled the dice and kept him on their 40-man roster all offseason. 

They slow-played his return during spring training and placed him on the 15-day injured list, but it seemed pretty clear that he wasn’t 100%. They activated him off his rehab assignment and optioned him to Triple-A, where he recorded 5 1/3 innings before being placed on the minor league injured list. 

Although Walters’ injury obviously impacts his long-term roster outlook, the one silver lining is that it provides the Guardians with a bit of short-term flexibility. 

Since they know Walters is going to be out for the rest of the season, they could free up a roster spot by calling him up to the big leagues and placing him on the 60-day injured list (which could also help them add said player to their postseason roster).

The Guardians have shown they're willing to reunite with injured players on minor league deals (see Ben Lively’s deal this offseason), but that may be a big harder to do with Walters since he’s younger and has some serious big league pedigree. 

It’s a risk, but it’s a risk worth taking. 

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