The Cleveland Guardians need to keep Joey Cantillo in their starting rotation

The bottom of the Guardians’ starting rotation has been in flux for seemingly all of the 2025 MLB season. 

Ben Lively was building on his solid start to the year, but he suffered forearm inflammation in the middle of May and underwent Tommy John surgery two weeks later. Slade Cecconi was acquired in the offseason to fill one of those spots, but he missed the start month-and-a-half of the season with an oblique strain.

Luis Ortiz was beginning to put it all together, but was placed on administrative leave at the start of July and could be out for the rest of the year. 

And although all of that movement has put a little more pressure on the bullpen (and the top of the rotation), things have been a bit more settled lately thanks to the emergence of Joey Cantillo.

And, although he’s still finding his way as an MLB pitcher, his latest performance was evidence as to why he should get more chances to stick in Cleveland’s rotation. 

The Guardians need to keep Joey Cantillo in their starting rotation

On Tuesday, Cantillo made his fourth start of the year for the Guardians, where he allowed one run in five innings in Cleveland’s win over Baltimore. 

While the line isn’t anything incredible, it’s a tangible example of the progress Cantillo has made this year. 

He opened the season in Cleveland’s bullpen and served primarily as a long relief option, though he did show his chops as a one-inning reliever when he picked up a save in extra innings against the Pirates.

While he had a sub-2.00 ERA in the middle of May, he had back-to-back nightmare outings against the Phillies and Brewers, which, coupled with Lively’s injury and Logan Allen’s ineffectiveness, led to him getting sent down to Triple-A to get stretched out as a starter. 

He only ended up making four appearances at Triple-A due a shoulder injury before getting called back up, but that hasn’t stopped him from looking like a different pitcher since being called up. 

While not every start has been a win (he has a 4.08 ERA across his four starts), he’s recorded at least five strikeouts in every start, and currently boasts a strikeout rate of 29.5%. 

Cantillo’s arsenal isn’t overpowering, but he’s a crafty lefty who does a good job keeping his team in the game. When he was sent down to Triple-A, it seemed like he’d use that profile to fill Allen’s place in the rotation. Now they’re both in the rotation and helping the Guardians claw their way back into the postseason picture. 

The Guardians’ rotation could look a lot different in a month thanks to the trade deadline and the impending returns of Shane Bieber and John Means, but Cantillo has shown enough to still have a spot in the rotation once the dust settles.