Trevor

Stephan

Stephan is 12 months removed from his surgery, and it sounds like he might be back to help the Guardians pen in May or June.

Stephan is working his way back from Tommy John surgery that he underwent last march. The 29-year-old isn’t likely to be ready for the regular season, but could help the loaded Cleveland bullpen at some point over the spring.

Stephan was placed on the 60-day injured prior to Thursday’s Opening Day contest and will miss the entire 2024 season.

Stephan underwent right elbow surgery earlier this month and is currently without a timetable to return. The 28-year-old righty was a key contributor to Cleveland’s high-leverage mix over the last few years.

Stephan has been a crucial part of the Guardians’ bullpen over the last three years, throwing at least 63 1/3 innings in each of the last three seasons with a 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 27.5 percent strikeout rate over that span. However, he experienced elbow discomfort early in the spring and when that persisted, it was determined that his UCL was not providing adequate stability, which caused more pain. There is currently no timetable for his return to the mound.

There isn’t a ton of clarity here as Stephan is seeking additional opinions to determine when he’ll be cleared to resume throwing after being shut down last month for three weeks due to a bone bruise in his right elbow. The 28-year-old high-leverage reliever will open the regular season on the injured list and remains without a timeline to return.

While not a household name, Stephan has been an integral part of the Guardians’ bridge to closer Emmanuel Clase. Stephan has thrown at least 63 1/3 innings in each of the last three seasons and has a 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 27.5 percent strikeout rate over that span. The Guardians can be relieved that he’s just dealing with a bruise, but it would be unlikely for him to be ready by Opening Day if he’s not going to start throwing again until late March.

Clase will not appeal the one-game ban and will serve his suspension during Monday night’s series opener against the Blue Jays. It’ll presumably be Trevor Stephan or Eli Morgan handling any potential save chance in his absence.

Emmanuel Clase was unused today after throwing 27 pitches in a blown save and a loss Friday. Clase isn’t close to losing his job, but he’s not the same pitchers he was last year, and there’s a good argument that Stephan is the Guardians’ best reliever right now.

With Emmanuel Clase unavailable after having pitched in each of the previous two games, Stephan came one and filled in admirably after the Guardians scored in the top half of the 10th to take the lead. He got Ty France to fly out to right, then punched out Eugenio Suarez with the tying run on third base before getting Cal Raleigh to fly out to center to end it. He isn’t going to get many save chances while Clase is healthy, but Stephan is proving to be an extremely valuable member of the Guardians’ bullpen.