5 players who can make an impact for the Guardians down the stretch

2. Triston McKenzie

Sensing a theme here? The Cleveland Guardians are in all-hands-on-deck mode when it comes to their starting rotation, anyone and everyone will be considered as a possible solution to their problem until they find one. That includes someone who was demoted due to poor performance. That person would be Triston McKenzie.

McKenzie has largely struggled this year in the majors, compiling a 5.11 ERA and 1.559 WHIP in 75.2 innings. These are some of, if not the worst, marks of his career up to this point. It was a bit easier to accept McKenzie's sub-par outings early on, considering he missed the majority of the 2023 season. But when it became clear he was not going to get any better, the Guardians were forced to send him to Triple-A.

It has been mostly a mixed bag for McKenzie down in Columbus, although there was an encouraging outing just this past week. McKenzie struck out 11 batters over 6 innings for the Clippers, showcasing the strikeout ability that he has previously made himself known for.

Even though it was only in Triple-A, McKenzie looking like his former self is still something of note. Good starts have been few and far between for McKenzie no matter the level of competition faced, but having an outing like this could spark the turnaround on the mound that is desperately needed.