May 21, 2023 12:00 AM

Triston McKenzie pitched three innings scoreless inning as he works his way to the Cleveland Guardians.

Good news appears to be on the horizon for Cleveland Guardians fans as it appears one of their injured starting pitchers is making positive progress in returning to the rotation.

Triston McKenzie was diagnosed with a right teres major muscle strain just before the start of the season and days before he was scheduled to make his first start. This forced the Guardians to come up with a plan for their starters fast and the rotation has been a revolving door ever since.

Dr. Sticks has been down in Arizona pitching bullpen sessions and building his way up to game level. He finally got a taste of action in a real baseball game on Saturday as he made his first rehab start with the Columbus Clippers.

McKenzie pitched three innings and struck out four batters while giving up two hits and walking one. He did all of this in just 52 pitches. This certainly isn't a bad stat line for someone who hasn't pitched in a game for almost two months. 

He seemed to be excited with his performance tweeting this after the game:

McKenzie's return to the rotation can't come soon enough. Cleveland has had guys such as Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee step up as the Guardians navigate their injuries, however, the back of the rotation has still been fairly inconsistent.

Cleveland is hopefully a few weeks away from having the best problem in baseball which is having too many starting pitchers. 

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Photo Credit © Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

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