Guardians release Amir Garrett, outright Zack Collins

The Cleveland Guardians made a couple of roster moves Thursday before resuming Wednesday's game and playing the final game of the series with Los Angeles. Cleveland outrighted catcher Zack Collins to Triple-A Columbus and granted left-handed relief pitcher Amir Garrett his outright release.

With the Guardians activating catcher Cam Gallagher from the seven-day injured list, there was simply no room for Collins on the major league roster. Add in the fact that Cleveland claimed Eric Haase off waivers earlier this week, Collins is clearly the odd man out. The trio of Bo Naylor, Gallagher, and Haase are all capable of manning duties behind the plate. Expect Naylor and Gallagher to see most of the action at the catching position.

Should Cleveland find themselves down catcher in the future, Collins could return to the Guardians. It would not be ideal considering his lackluster numbers over his entire career. While the two hits in four at-bats are nice, it does not align with his career .188/.300/.329 slash line. There is also the presence of David Fry, another potential option to see time behind the plate, who could be activated off the injured list soon. If and when Fry does come back, it would present another obstacle in Collins' way to seeing time in the majors.

Garrett was never really in the Guardians' bullpen plans, pitching exclusively for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers this season. The former Kansas City Royal and Cincinnati Red made eight appearances for Cleveland's Triple-A affiliate, allowing six runs on six hits in 7.1 innings while striking out six and walking nine.

Considering that Cleveland has opted to go with a handful of other left-handers on top of bringing back Daniel Norris, it is not exactly a surprise to see Garrett request his release and have it granted. The Guardians prefer to use the likes of Sam Hentges, Tim Herrin, and Norris (occasionally) over Garrett.