Potential Guardians rotation replacement just loudly arrived in Triple-A season debut

Austin Peterson has done nothing but pitch in the time since his minor league debut for the Guardians in 2023. 

It may not be long until he’s able to carry that theme over to Progressive Field. 

On Tuesday, Peterson made his long-awaited debut at Triple-A Columbus and tossed three scoreless innings with four strikeouts in an 8-6 win for the Clippers. 

While the start to his season was delayed by a triceps strain he sustained in spring training, the 26-year-old looked healthy and sharp in his return to action. 

If Peterson is able to keep that up, it won’t be long until he gets his first big league chance, especially Slade Cecconi’s continues to struggle at the back of the Guardians’ rotation. 

Austin Peterson passed his first test in Triple-A return

While the Guardians’ starting rotation is one of the team’s overall strengths, Cecconi’s struggles are getting hard to ignore, as he currently boasts a 6.23 ERA through six starts. 

Although he turned in a gem of a start against the Cubs at the beginning of April, he’s allowed 10 earned runs across his past two starts and is struggling to limit big innings. 

He’s been able to give the Guardians some length, but he’s leaving too many pitches over the heart of the plate and has been struggling with his command. 

If those struggles continue, the Guardians could be forced to send him down to Triple-A for a much-needed reset. And, if that happens, Peterson stands out as one of the top options to take his spot. 

Peterson worked his way into the Guardians’ big league conversation last season when he posted a 3.21 ERA in 145 2/3 innings across Double-A and Triple-A before adding him to their 40-man roster during the offseason. 

He generated some buzz in the offseason as a potential bullpen arm before being sidelined by that aforementioned triceps strain. But it could end up being a blessing in disguise since he now has a clear path to make an impact as a big league starter. 

Prior to his return, the Guardians' top starting pitching options at Triple-A were Logan Allen (4.94 ERA), Pedro Avila (8.20 ERA) and Rorik Maltrud (2.92 ERA but not on the 40-man roster). 

Peterson’s clearly the most intriguing player of that group. 

That said, he only went three innings in his outing on Tuesday, so the Guardians would probably want him to build himself up a little more before they start to consider him as big league-ready. 

Still, the Guardians are no stranger to throwing young pitchers into the fire (long at how things have gone with Parker Messick). If they feel like Peterson is ready and gives them their best option to win, he could be in Cleveland sooner rather than later. 

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