Corey

Kluber

The former Guardians ace will be primarily responsible for helping the pitching staff; although, there is little information on what capacity. The Guardians already have one of the most experienced and respected pitching coaches in baseball in Carl Willis, but perhaps Kluber can help with gameplans and the mental side of the game. “I probably experienced pretty close to a full spectrum of things in a career. I wasn’t a very good minor-leaguer, figured out some stuff, and still had to develop at this stage. … It’s having a lot of different types of experiences to build on. Hopefully, it presents opportunities to help guys with a lot of different things.”

Kluber always seemed like an outstanding strategist on the mound, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he had a fine second career in baseball if he wants one. The 37-year-old announced his retirement last week after 13 seasons in the majors.

Kluber spent the first nine seasons of his big-league tenure in Cleveland where he evolved into a two-time Cy Young Award winner, made three All-Star Game appearances, and was also one of the most impactful fantasy contributors of his era at his absolute apex. The 37-year-old righty split the last few years between the Rangers, Yankees, Rays and Red Sox, never quite coming close to returning to form, mostly due to injuries. He finishes with a 116-77 record to go along with a 3.44 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 1,725/368 K/BB ratio across 1,641 2/3 innings (271 appearances, 260 starts) in the majors since 2011.

Kluber went 3-6 with a 7.04 ERA for the Red Sox last season and didn’t see his 2024 option picked up. He’s had just one healthy season in the last five and wasn’t particularly good then (84 ERA+ for the Rays in 2022), so he’ll probably have to settle for a minor league contract if he wants to give it another try.

Kluber, who was on a one-year, $10 million contract, went 3-6 with a 7.04 ERA in nine starts and six relief appearances for the Red Sox last season. He’s turning 38 in April, and it’s hard to imagine that anyone will be interested in guaranteeing him a rotation spot next year.

Kluber has been pulled off his minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester and will continue his recovery at home. The 37-year-old right-hander was shut down in late May with right shoulder inflammation and never wound up making it back. He’ll be a free agent this offseason.

Kluber struck out two. The hardest of his 35 pitches came in at 88.1 mph, and his velocity and spin rates were both short of what he averaged in the majors in the first half. If Kluber rejoins the Red Sox, it’ll probably be for a bit role in middle relief.

Kluber has missed most of the summer with right shoulder inflammation. The former Cy Young winner is expected to rejoin Boston as a reliever before the season ends later this month and isn’t expected to be relevant in fantasy upon his return.

Kluber has been on the shelf since late June due to right shoulder inflammation. The veteran right-hander is expected to return as a reliever at some point later this month.

The move clears a spot for the newly-claimed Zack Weiss on the 40-man roster. Kluber has been out since late June with with right shoulder inflammation and it’s unclear if he’ll return this season.