Colin

Holderman

Holderman pitched 1/3 of an inning on Thursday, allowing one hit and walking one. The right-hander has been a key part of the Guardians’ bullpen this season, pitching to a 2.73 ERA in 52 2/3 innings.

Holderman retired two of the three Padres batters he faced before throwing a wild pitch on his first offering to Jackson Merrill. That was the end of his night. Hunter Gaddis replaced him and was able to retire Merrill to finish the inning.

Cade Smith got the day off after pitching in three straight games. It was Holderman who was summoned with a three-run lead in the ninth. He pitched a clean inning to get the job done, converting his first save.

With Shawn Armstrong (groin) hitting the injured list on Sunday, Holderman will get another chance to show what he can do out of the Guardians’ bullpen. The 30-year-old right-hander has posted a 6.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and a 3/2 K/BB ratio over three innings in his first two appearances with the club.

Holderman heads back to the minors to make room for lefty swingman Kolby Allard. The 30-year-old righty signed a one-year, $1.5 million pact with the Guardians last December after being non-tendered by the Pirates. He’ll continue serving as middle relief depth for Cleveland.

The deal is now official. Holderman is coming off a disappointing final season with the Pirates where he posted a bloated 7.01 ERA (5.86 FIP) and 14.4 percent strikeout rate over 25 2/3 innings before being non-tendered last month. The 30-year-old represents a worthwhile reclamation project for Cleveland’s pitching apparatus since he holds a solid 4.13 ERA (4.01 FIP) over 161 1/3 innings in the majors since 2022. He’ll operate in middle relief for the Guardians helping bridge the gap to closer Cade Smith.

Holderman, 30, rack up 48 holds for the Pirates between 2023 and ’24, but he faltered to a 7.01 ERA in 25 2/3 innings before finishing last season in the minors, and he was non-tendered last month. He should have to compete for a spot in the Guardians pen, but he does have two option years left.

The Pirates’ only non-tenders were the four players they designated for assignment on Tuesday. Moreta spent considerable time in the minors after returning from Tommy John surgery last season, but he had a 3.24 ERA in 16 2/3 innings while in the majors. With his career 29% strikeout rate, there will be a lot of teams interested in him on a minor league deal.

Holderman, Canario, Moreta and Simon have been jettisoned from Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster to make room for an influx of prospects that the organization needed to shield from next month’s Rule 5 Draft. No real surprises here.

With Justin Lawrence returning from the 60-day injured list on Friday, the Pirates needed to clear a spot in their bullpen and unfortunately for Holderman he drew the short straw this time around. The 29-year-old hurler holds an unappealing 7.01 ERA, 1.95 WHIP and an 18/16 K/BB ratio over 25 2/3 innings with the Pirates this season.