The Cleveland Guardians are going to give the ball to one of their top prospects on Wednesday, when right-handed starting pitcher Gavin Williams makes his MLB debut. The team announced the news Tuesday afternoon to reporters, including MLB.com's Mandy Bell.
In related news, Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie has a sprained ulnar-collateral ligament in his throwing elbow and will be shut down multiple weeks, he told reporters (Zack Meisel). The UCL is the ligament that, when torn, often requires Tommy John surgery to repair it, so let's hope the shutdown is all McKenzie needs.
McKenzie, 25, returned from injury for a June 4 start and was dominant, but he coughed up five runs in five innings in his second outing and was shut down thereafter. He has just the two starts this season. He had a 2.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 191 1/3 innings in his breakout campaign in 2022.
With both McKenzie and Cal Quantrill on the injured list, there's an opening in the rotation for Williams.
Williams, 23, was a first-round pick in the 2021 draft when the Guardians selected him 23rd overall out of East Carolina. CBS Sports prospect expert R.J. Anderson ranked him third in the Guardians' system heading into spring training this year, writing:
Williams went undrafted and unsigned as part of 2020's five-round draft. His decision to return to Eastern Carolina for the 2021 season paid off, as he improved his stock enough to come off the board at pick No. 23. Now, he seems likely to make his big-league debut sometime in 2023 after bullying minor-league hitters last season. Indeed, in 25 starts (including 16 at Double-A), he posted a 1.96 ERA and a 3.73 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Williams is a large right-hander with a big-time fastball that overwhelms hitters up in the zone. He's worked to refine his breaking stuff and his mechanics alike, allowing him more consistency with those pitches and his location. Expecting Williams to become at least a mid-rotation starter at this point is reasonable.
This season, Williams dominated in three starts in Double-A (0.63 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 20 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings) before his promotion to Triple-A Akron. In nine starts there, he pitched to a 2.93 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 61 strikeouts against 21 walks in 46 innings.
Should Williams find a home in the rotation, he'd join Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee.
The Guardians are a disappointing 33-38 this season, though that only leaves them 2 1/2 games out in the AL Central this season. They are facing the 19-55 A's in a three-game series in Cleveland starting Tuesday.