Khal Stephen’s minor league debut should have every Guardians fan buzzing 

At the end of last month, the Cleveland Guardians acquired minor league pitcher Khal Stephen from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Shane Bieber in a trade that required a bit of patience from both parties involved. 

While Bieber is a Cy Young winner who has looked like one of the best pitchers in baseball when healthy, he was still rehabbing from last year’s Tommy John surgery at the time of the trade. And, on the other side, Stephen was ranked as one of the best pitching prospects in the Blue Jays’ system but was also on the injured list with right shoulder impingement at the time of the trade. 

But now both players are back from the injured list and pitching for their new clubs, and Guardians fans should be overjoyed with how Stephen’s first appearance in Cleveland’s system went. 

Khal Stephen’s minor league debut should have every Guardians fan buzzing 

While Stephen only went three innings in his return to the mound at Double-A Akron, he recorded two strikeouts (one in each inning) and surrendered just two hits in a 5-2 RubberDucks win. 

Stephen, who is the Guardians’ No. 7 prospect per MLB Pipeline, threw all four of his pitches and showed off his strong control of the strike zone by throwing 27 of his 38 pitches for strikes. 

The outing couldn’t have come at a better time, as Bieber made his Blue Jays debut two days prior and showcased his ace potential with an electric outing against the Miami Marlins.

But, even with that, it’s important to remember that we won’t be able to fairly judge that trade for a couple years. Even if Bieber looks dominant in every start and helps lead the Blue Jays to the World Series, he’s still set for a big payday in free agency (which could come from a team other than the Blue Jays). 

Meanwhile, Stephen is still working his way through the minors and will have six years of team control whenever he makes his MLB debut. 

The Guardians’ starting rotation is currently a bit in flux thanks to Luis Ortiz’s suspension earlier this season, but Gavin Williams has shown that he has ace potential while Parker Messick impressed in his first MLB action. That, coupled with Tanner Bibee, gives them a top-three that could rival any pitching staff. 

Stephen could easily step into that rotation and hold his own.

Although he likely won’t be a major league factor for the Guardians until next season at the earliest, Sunday's start at Double-A was a great reminder of what Guardians fans could expect to get from him whenever he gets his chance to graduate from the pitching factory.