BOSTON — Guardians reliever Eli Morgan is heading to the 15-day injured list as part of a series of roster moves made by the club prior to Wednesday’s game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Morgan, 27, will be sidelined for at least 15 days with right shoulder inflammation. He pitched two scoreless frames in Tuesday’s extra-innings win against Boston, allowing a hit and a walk with two strikeouts. Wes Parsons, acquired from Toronto last week, was recalled from Triple-A Columbus to take Morgan’s spot on the 26-man roster.
Manager Stephen Vogt called losing Morgan a “huge blow” to the bullpen.
“Eli’s been so valuable for us for this team for a couple years now, but especially for us this year,” Vogt said. “He’s thrown in every situation possible. It probably doesn’t get enough attention, like the job he did last night.”
Vogt said the injury is not a new one for Morgan, who has been dealing with discomfort for a while now.
“Just with the workload that he’s had after the two innings, back to back days, it just got to the point where it felt like he wasn’t himself,” Vogt said. “It’s one of those things that, it’s unfortunate but hopefully it’s a minor setback, just a little bit of rotator cuff inflammation and we’ll know more here in the next few days.”
More Guardians coverage
Additionally, the club optioned right-hander Xzavion Curry to Columbus in order to clear a spot for Wednesday’s starting pitcher, Ben Lively. Curry tossed five shutout innings in Monday’s 6-0 Guardians win, allowing a career low two hits and striking out three.
“We told him ‘You didn’t do anything that merited this,’” Vogt said. “‘This is just where we are right now with our roster. Continue to go down there and do what you do and be yourself and I’m sure we’ll see you again soon’”
Earlier Wednesday, Cleveland announced it had acquired right-hander Pedro Avila, 27, from San Diego in exchange for cash considerations. Avila was not set to join the Guardians in time for Wednesday’s game. The club moved infielder Angel Martinez to the 60-day injured list to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Avila. Martinez had surgery to repair a hamate fracture early Wednesday.
Ad not displaying properly? Become a Cleveland Baseball Insider by clicking here.
If you or a loved one has questions and needs to talk to a professional about gambling, call the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966 or the National Council on Program Gambling Helpline (NCPG) at 1-800-522-4700 or visit 1800gambler.net for more information. 21+ and present in Ohio. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.