Should the Cleveland Guardians be worried about Erik Sabrowski's recent numbers?
Stephen Vogt called upon Erik Sabrowski in the bottom of the seventh inning of the Cleveland Guardians’ matchup against the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday evening to get out of a one-out, runners-on-first-and-third jam.
It’s a scenario that Sabrowski has had no issue getting out of in the past, but this time it was different. The Guardians left-hander issued three straight walks, two of which resulted in runs, and Cleveland’s skipper came out to get him.
This outing was a rare one for Sabrowski. Unfortunately, it follows a similar trend since he came off the injured list with elbow inflammation nearly three weeks ago.
The Guardians activated Sabrowksi on June 19. Since then, he has pitched 6.0 innings over nine games, with a 9.00 ERA and a 2.50 WHIP.
Even more concerning is that Sabrowski’s command hasn’t been the same either. He has a strikeout rate of 28.1 percent and a walk rate of 18.8 percent. His fastball velocity has dipped, too, with an average of just 93.9 mph over the last three weeks.
For reference, before being placed on the injured list, Sabrowski has a strikeout rate of 47 percent, a walk rate of 15.7 percent, and an average fastball velocity of 94.1 mph.
Earlier this season, Sabrowski looked like the new go-to setup man ahead of Cade Smith in Cleveland’s bullpen. Now, the Guardians might need to avoid using him in high-leverage situations until he can sort out the command.
May 20, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Erik Sabrowski (62) delivers during the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn ImagesShould the team be ringing all the alarm bells with Sabrowski's recent stretch?
Not yet.
It’s still a relatively small sample size, and his outing against the Twins does inflate some of those numbers.
Plus, Sabrowski's overall season stats are strong, and the 28-year-old knows how to bounce back after injury after undergoing a pair of Tommy John surgeries during his baseball career.
Not throwing for a week over the All-Star break could be the perfect reset for Sabrowski, and how he pitches coming out of the hiatus is certainly worth monitoring.
Guardians Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Guardians. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
