Guardians lose 4.70 ERA reliever to injured list

When Paul Sewald signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Cleveland Guardians last offseason, there were hopes that he would rediscover his prime self.

Injuries have hindered those hopes.

According to Tim Stebbins of MLB.com, Sewald is headed to the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain. He previously missed over two months with a similar injury and had just recently been reinstated.

Sewald struggled in 2024, his first and final full campaign with the Arizona Diamondbacks, going 1-2 with a 4.31 ERA and a 3.95 FIP over 39 and 2/3 innings. This year, he has regressed even more, going 1-1 with a 4.70 ERA, a 4.06 FIP, and 18 strikeouts to 4 walks over 15 and 1/3 innings.

Cleveland is 46-49 and will all but assuredly not catch the Detroit Tigers (59-38) for the American League Central. They are also 4.5 games back of the Seattle Mariners for the final Wild Card spot, but would have to leapfrog six other teams to claim that spot.

Even with Sewald not at his best, or even healthy, Cleveland boasts the 10th-best combined bullpen ERA in the Majors at 3.71. That is in large part thanks to stalwarts Emmanuel Clase (2.91 ERA, 2.41 FIP) and Cade Smith (3.07 ERA, 2.06 FIP).

This season is not yet lost, but the Guardians look more and more poised to sell at the deadline. Sewald could have potentially been a tantalizing piece for contenders in need of bullpen support, but the injuries complicate his trade value.