Guardians' Sam Hentges: Avoids arbitration with Cleveland
Rotowire
Hentges (shoulder) agreed to a one-year, $1.337 million contract with the Guardians on Friday to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Hentges is set to miss the entire 2025 campaign after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder in September. His new contract will ensure he remains with the Guardians organization for the duration of his rehab process, and the 28-year-old will look to return for the start of 2026.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: Slated for shoulder surgery
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Hentges will undergo surgery on Sept. 18 to repair the capsule and labrum in his left shoulder, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Hentges is expected to need 12-to-14 months to recover, so it's unlikely he'll be ready to pitch in a game until 2026. The lefty has been excellent since being moved to a full-time relief role in 2022, posting a 2.93 ERA and 155:42 K:BB over 138 innings. Hentges is making $1.16 million in 2024 and will be eligible for salary arbitration for a second time this offseason.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: Moved to 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Guardians transferred Hentges (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.
Hentges has been on the shelf since July 12 due to left shoulder swelling and was removed from his rehab assignment Aug. 9 with soreness in the shoulder. The move to the 60-day IL means that Hentges won't be eligible to return until Sept. 10. Anthony Gose was called up from Triple-A Columbus to take Hentges' spot on the 40-man roster.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: Pulled off rehab assignment
Rotowire
Hentges has been pulled off his rehab assignment due to renewed soreness in his left shoulder, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
Hentges had made four rehab appearances, but in his last one he allowed three runs without recording an out. The left-hander will be re-examined by doctors to determine the next steps in his recovery, but it sounds as if the Guardians aren't expecting the reliever to be available any time soon. Hentges has been on the 15-day injured list since July 12.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: Starting rehab assignment
Rotowire
Hentges (shoulder) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday, Chris Assenheimer of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Hentges will throw in a game for the first time since being placed on the 15-day injured list July 12 with shoulder inflammation. It's unclear how many rehab outings Hentges will need before rejoining the Guardians bullpen, but he should be expected back sometime in mid-August.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: On IL with shoulder swelling
Rotowire
The Guardians placed Hentges on the 15-day injured list Friday due to left shoulder inflammation, Joe Noga of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Hentges has appeared in 25 games after missing the first month of the season and owns a 3.04 ERA with nine holds across 23.2 innings. However, he'll be shelved until at least late July due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Xzavion Curry was recalled from Triple-A Columbus in a corresponding move.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: Back from paternity leave
Rotowire
The Guardians activated Hentges from the paternity leave list Thursday.
Hentges missed a series against the Rangers while spending time with his growing family. He'll be back in the Guardians' bullpen for their weekend set versus the Twins.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: Goes on paternity leave
Rotowire
The Guardians placed Hentges on the paternity list Monday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Hentges will likely miss the entire three-game set against the Rangers before rejoining the club this weekend for its series versus the Twins. Peter Strzelecki was recalled from Triple-A Columbus and will assume Hentges' spot in Cleveland's bullpen.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: Rejoins big-league bullpen
Rotowire
The Guardians activated Hentges (finger) from the 15-day injured list Monday.
Cleveland optioned right-hander Peter Strzelecki to Triple-A Columbus to clear room in the bullpen and on the 26-man active roster for Hentges, who opened the season on the IL with left middle finger inflammation. Hentges was added back to the 26-man active roster after he wrapped up a stellar six-appearance rehab assignment between Triple-A Columbus and Double-A Akron in which he struck out seven and allowed just five baserunners over 6.2 scoreless frames. He posted a 3.61 ERA and gathered 15 holds over 56 appearances with the big club in 2023 and should slot back in as a key part of the bridge to close Emmanuel Clase.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: Beginning rehab at Double-A
Rotowire
Hentges (finger) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Akron on Friday, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.
Hentges began facing hitters earlier this week, and he's now ready to get into game action. He dealt with a swollen finger during spring training and has been out for over a month. Once he's ready to join the major-league roster, he'll be tasked with joining a competitive group that is second in the majors with a 2.29 bullpen ERA.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: Set to face hitters
Rotowire
Hentges (finger) is scheduled to resume throwing live batting practice sessions early next week, MLB.com reports.
Hentges had initially been slated to face hitters Friday, but the live session ended up getting pushed back due to poor weather in Cleveland. Once Hentges throws at least two BP sessions, he'll presumably head out on a minor-league rehab assignment. The 27-year-old reliever opened the season on the 15-day injured list due to left middle finger inflammation.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: Placed on IL
Rotowire
The Guardians placed Hentges (finger) on the 15-day injured list Thursday.
According to MLB.com, Hentges traveled with the Guardians on their season-opening road trip, despite being placed on the IL due to left middle finger swelling. Hentges' inclusion on the road trip could imply that he's in store for a brief stay on the IL, as he already resumed throwing before camp ended and may soon be ready to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: Bound for IL
Rotowire
Hentges (finger) will begin the season on the injured list, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
There's no word yet on a specific diagnosis for Hentges' finger injury, but it's apparently bad enough that a stint on the IL will be required. It's a blow to the Guardians' bullpen, as he boasts a 2.91 ERA and 128:37 K:BB over 114.1 innings across the last two seasons.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: Shut down from throwing
Rotowire
Manager Stephen Vogt said Saturday that Hentges (finger) will not throw for a few days, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Hentges will avoid throwing for the next few days while the team gathers more information about the swelling in his left finger. Hentges has struggled in spring training, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five over 4.0 innings.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: Getting swollen finger checked out
Rotowire
Hentges is dealing with some swelling in his finger and will visit with a doctor Thursday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
It's not clear how long the finger has been an issue, but Hentges hasn't been great this spring, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks over four innings. A more specific diagnosis and timetable should be available after Thursday's examination.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: Shaky in spring
Rotowire
Hentges has allowed three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out three over three Cactus League innings.
Hentges has a shaky grasp on a high-leverage role, so these aren't great results for the southpaw. He had a 3.61 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 56:18 K:BB over 52.1 innings last season, with all of those marks being worse than his results in 2022. Hentges has 23 holds over the last two years and will likely still see some late-inning work if he can get himself on track in April.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: Set to earn $1.6 million in 2024
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Hentges signed a one-year, $1.6 million contract with the Guardians on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Hentges broke out in 2022 after shifting to a full-time relief role. He took a moderate step back in 2023 by posting a 3.61 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across 52.1 innings, but he still managed a 17 percent K-BB%. After recording 15 holds last season, Hentges should have the chance to serve in a high-leverage role once again in 2024.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: Collects extra-innings win
Rotowire
Hentges (3-2) allowed an unearned run on one hit over one inning to earn the extra-innings win over the Rays on Saturday.
Hentges allowed a run to score on a sacrifice fly, but the Guardians rallied back for two runs in the bottom of the 11th inning to earn him the win. The unearned run Saturday is the only run he's given up over his last 15 innings, a span in which he has a 19:4 K:BB and two holds. For the season, Hentges has a 4.32 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 44:16 K:BB through 41.2 innings with 10 holds and two blown saves. While he's been sharp lately, the Guardians' waiver claims from the Angels make the back end of Cleveland's bullpen quite crowded, so Hentges may be seen more often in middle-relief assignments.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: Picks up second win
Rotowire
Hentges (2-2) struck out the side in a perfect inning to earn the win Tuesday over the Dodgers.
Hentges has quietly gotten his season back on track with a 9.2-inning scoreless streak, during which he's posted a 13:3 K:BB while allowing 11 hits and collecting two holds. The southpaw worked the top of the seventh inning Tuesday, and the Guardians rallied ahead a half-inning later. He's now at a 4.95 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 38:15 K:BB with 10 holds and two blown saves over 36.1 innings. With Emmanuel Clase and Trevor Stephan holding down late-inning roles, Hentges is unlikely to see consistent setup work.
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Guardians' Sam Hentges: Struggles, takes loss Wednesday
Rotowire
Hentges (1-2) allowed four runs on three hits and a walk in one-third of an inning to take the loss Wednesday versus the Pirates.
Hentges entered with one on and one out, but the Pirates were able to rally against him. This was the fourth time in eight appearances in July that he's allowed multiple runs. The rough stretch has inflated his ERA to 6.31 with a 1.44 WHIP and 23:12 K:BB over 25.2 innings this season. While he's collected eight holds this season, Hentges may be kept away from high-leverage situations while he's struggling.
