The Guardians announced Thursday that right-hander Alex Cobb has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to blisters on his pitching hand. Right-hander Andrew Walters has had his contract selected from Triple-A Columbus in his place. Cleveland already had a 40-man vacancy after recently outrighting left-hander Anthony Gose again.
It’s the second time since Cobb was acquired at the trade deadline that he’s landed on the 15-day IL due to a minor injury on his pitching hand. He was previously out from Aug. 16 to Sept. 1 with a fractured fingernail on his right hand as well. Though neither a broken nail nor a blister is severe in nature, both issues can prevent a pitcher from gripping his pitches properly — particularly a knuckle curve like the one thrown by Cobb.
Though he’s now twice been briefly shelved, Cobb has made three starts with the Guards: two of them excellent and one rather rocky. He surrendered four runs in 4 2/3 innings to the Twins in his team (and season) debut, but he’s since rebounded with 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball against the Cubs and six shutout frames against the Pirates. There’s still time for him to get back by the end of the season, and Cobb could factor into the team’s postseason plans as well.
Cleveland acquired Cobb from the Giants in exchange for a pair of prospects (Jacob Bresnahan, Nate Furman). The Giants had hoped he’d be able to return early in the season after recovering from hip surgery performed over the winter, but a shoulder issue and a separate set of blister troubles delayed his activation. From 2021-23, Cobb pitched 394 1/3 innings with a 3.79 ERA and quality strikeout and walk rates (22.8%, 6.8%) with the Angels and Giants.
Turning to the 23-year-old Walters, he’ll be making his big league debut barely a year after being selected with the No. 62 overall pick in the 2023 draft. The University of Miami product has pitched exclusively in relief this season and laid waste to Double-A and Triple-A lineups alike. In the first 50 1/3 innings of his professional career, he’s recorded a 2.32 ERA and whiffed more than 37% of his opponents, though some command troubles have cropped up in Triple-A in particular. He’s issued a free pass to 11.8% of his opponents this season, including a 13.2% mark in Triple-A. Walters has also plunked three hitters, meaning more than 12% of his opponents this season have reached base without putting a ball in play.
Control issues have been the primary knock on Walters since he turned pro. He boasts a mid-90s heater that can reach 100 mph and couples that with a slider that he barely used in college while focusing on a fastball-heavy approach. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen gives him 30-grade command on the 20-80 scouting scale, ranking him 14th among Cleveland prospects and noting that he lacks feel for finishing and command his breaking ball. MLB.com tabs him 22nd in the system and notes that his command was sharper in college (evidenced by a 5.6% walk rate in the NCAA), voicing some optimism that he’ll be able to improve as time goes on.