The Guardians announced a series of roster moves this morning, headlined by the club selecting the contract of right-hander Connor Gillispie. The club also recalled righty Eli Morgan. In corresponding moves, rookie left-hander Joey Cantillo and right-hander Xzavion Curry were optioned to Triple-A.
Gillispie, 26, was a ninth-round pick by the Orioles back in 2019. He reached Double-A in Baltimore before being selected by the Guardians in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft this past winter. He’s swung between the rotation and bullpen for Cleveland at the Triple-A level since then, and he’s done so with decent numbers. In 89 2/3 innings of work across 20 appearances (11 starts), Gillispie sports a 4.01 ERA with somewhat concerning peripherals. The righty’s decent 23.3% strikeout rate is paired with an elevated 10.5% walk rate and a shocking number of home runs. As a fly ball pitcher who has seen 17% of his balls in the fly balls leave the yard for homers, Gillispie has surrendered a whopping 19 homers so far this season.
It’s not yet clear what role Gillispie will fill with the Guardians now that he’s on the big league roster, though it’s perhaps worth noting that the club has not yet announced a starting pitcher for tomorrow’s game against the Diamondbacks. Gillispie last pitched on July 26, meaning he’s had more than a week of rest since his last outing and should be able to provide length for Cleveland whether he winds up pitching out of the bullpen or the rotation, although the Guardians are surely hoping he can get his issues with the long ball under control in the majors.
Cleveland’s rotation currently features just four arms (Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Ben Lively, and Carlos Carrasco) but the move to option Curry also leaves room for a fresh long relief arm in the bullpen. Veteran right-hander Alex Cobb figures to join the rotation picture at some point in the near future for the club after being acquired from the Giants at the trade deadline, but he made what should be his final rehab starts in the minor leagues last night and won’t be available for a few more days.
Also joining the club’s active roster is Morgan, who has pitched to excellent results when in the majors despite middling peripherals. The right-hander sports a sparkling 1.98 ERA and 2.80 FIP in 13 2/3 innings of work at the big league level this year but has gotten by despite a paltry 17.9% walk rate thanks to an elevated 75% strand rate and zero home…
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