James

Karinchak

Karinchak kicked off a throwing program earlier this month, but he’s going to be sidelined until at least late May.

The 28-year-old right-hander was sidelined at the start of spring training with shoulder fatigue. He will now need to ramp up from the start of his progression, which means he’s on a tight timeline to be ready for opening day. Karinchak appeared in 44 games for the Guardians last season and posted a 3.25 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and a 52/28 K/BB ratio, so he is an important part of the Guardians’ bullpen.

This injury news doesn’t appear to be significant, but it’s worth keeping an eye on. The 28-year-old right hander appeared in 44 games for the Guardians last season and posted a 3.25 ERA, 1.33 WHIP with a 52/28 K/BB ratio.

It’s a little surprising that the Guardians wanted to pay Karinchak close to $2 million after burying in Triple-A for stretches of each of the last two seasons, but he probably still has a little trade value if they want to go that route. The 28-year-old had a 3.23 ERA in 39 major league innings last season, even though he walked 28 and gave up six homers in the process.

Karinchak receives the call back to the big leagues ahead of Monday’s showdown against the Royals with rookie starter Tanner Bibee (hip) requiring a trip to the injured list. The 27-year-old right-hander has posted a serviceable 3.44 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 46/23 K/BB ratio across 34 innings (38 appearances) this season in the majors.

Karinchak has been shipped back to the minors to make room for recently-acquired Lucas Giolito to join Cleveland’s active roster. The 27-year-old righty has recorded a solid 1.42 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 8/4 K/BB ratio a cross 6 1/3 frames since returning in mid-August from Triple-A Columbus.

Karinchak was optioned to the minors back in mid-June after posting a serviceable 3.90 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 38/19 K/BB ratio across 27 2/3 innings (32 appearances) this season. The 27-year-old high-leverage specialist has struggled to a 5.12 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 34/11 K/BB ratio across 19 1/4 innings (20 appearances) for Triple-A Columbus since being demoted.

Karinchak is pretty obviously out of favor in Cleveland, and it’s kind of surprising he wasn’t dealt yesterday. The former closer hasn’t seen the majors since being sent down on June 10, but he was pitching rather well for Columbus before last night’s setback (4 ER, 24/6 K/BB in 13 1/3 IP).

This one is a bit puzzling since Karinchak has pitched to a solid 3.90 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 38/19 K/BB ratio across 27 2/3 innings (32 appearances) this season. The hard-throwing 27-year-old righty reliever figures to be back in a few weeks, but it feels like there is more to this decision that purely on-field performance.

Because of the way saves count in arbitration, Karinchak, who had a 2.08 ERA in 39 innings last season, probably would have gotten two or three times as much money had Emmanuel Clase not overtaken him for the closer’s role in 2021. He’s just about as valuable to the Guardians while working the eighth, but the salaries simply don’t compare.