Guardians lose bullpen stalwart to shoulder injury.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Lefty Sam Hentges, a mainstay of the Guardians’ top-rated bullpen, is heading to the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation the team announced ahead of its series opener against the Rays on Friday at Troipicana Field.
The move is retroactive to July 11. Cleveland recalled right-hander Xzavion Curry from Triple-A Columbus to take Hentges’ spot on the 26-man roster.
Hentges, 27, last pitched on Wednesday in a 5-4 loss to the Tigers, allowing what turned out to be the game-winning run for Detroit on a solo home run by Andy Ibanez in the eighth inning.
Vogt said Hentges has been dealing with shoulder fatigue over the last week to five days.
“He just wasn’t really bouncing back,” Vogt said. “We thought it was best just to take a break right now, get that knocked out so that he’ll be the best version of himself for the rest of the year.”
The Guardians decided that before the discomfort he was feeling turned into a bigger problem, a trip to the injured list was warranted.
“It seems to be manageable right now, but we don’t want to do anything detrimental for him,” Vogt said.
In his third season with Cleveland, Hentges has appeared in 25 games without recording a decision. He has a 3.04 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings, allowing five walks and three home runs.
