Guardians sign Daniel Norris to minor-league deal

Less than a week after being designated for assignment, Daniel Norris is back with the Cleveland Guardians organization. The two sides agreed to a minor-league deal, with Norris being assigned to the Columbus Clippers, according to MLB.com's transactions list.

Norris has made six appearances for the Guardians this season, allowing four runs (seven total) on six hits with 10 strikeouts in 10.2 innings. Walks have been an issue for Norris, as he has walked 11 batters in his limited time with Cleveland this season.

Most of Norris's time with the Guardians organization has come with the Columbus Clippers, Cleveland's Triple-A affiliate. Norris has 18 appearances (12 starts), allowing 33 runs in 53 innings with 48 strikeouts and 26 walks. The 30-year-old lefty has allowed 10 home runs down in Columbus. Norris's 1.7 home runs allowed per nine is slightly higher than his career average of 1.4.

It would not be a surprise to see Norris return to the major league club before the year is up. The Guardians have selected his contract and designated him for assignment twice this season, a third go-around of this cycle seems to be destined to happen. The Guardians are going to need some pitching help later in the season, as the rookies in their rotation should hit innings limits at some point in September. Should Cleveland be entirely out of the playoff picture next month, Norris making a handful of appearances to eat innings at the end of the year would be far from the least expected series of events.

Norris has spent most of his career as a member of the Detroit Tigers after initially being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the second round of the 2011 MLB June Amateur Draft. Norris came to Detroit in the deal that sent David Price to Toronto during the 2015 season. The veteran lefty had brief stints with the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs during the 2021 and 2022 seasons before returning to Detroit at the end of last season.