Last season, the Cleveland Guardians had baseball’s top bullpen, and it wasn’t even close. They were headed by many elite American League arms, including as Emmanuel Clase, baseball’s finest closer.
However, Clase hasn’t been the same person this season. Clase had a 7.84 ERA after 10 1/3 innings pitched, giving up 20 hits and nine earned runs. After dealing with a shoulder injury for a few days, he pitched a perfect eighth inning.
After that game against the Boston Red Sox, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt made such a stunning remark regarding Clase. “He was Clase,” revealed Vogt on Saturday. “It was fantastic. I talked with him before the game, (and) said, ‘Hey, it’s been five days, (you) didn’t go on a rehab, we don’t want to put you on the IL, we want to keep you active, probably look for a little lower leverage just to get you back on your feet. And he did terrific with it, and that’s the teammate he is, and he’ll be right back in that closer role.”
The best course of action for Clase and the team is this choice. Giving him some lower-leverage scenarios to throw in is the best way for Cleveland to get him back into rhythm. It appears that Cade Smith will replace Clase at the closer position. Smith has pitched 14 innings this season while giving up only two earned runs. Three saves have been made by him.
