Triston

McKenzie

There’s nothing unexpected here, but Schnell did make a sneaky run at the bench spot that’s probably going to Bryce Johnson. McKenzie was a mess in camp, but he was a mess throwing about three mph harder than he did in his one really good year with Cleveland. If he finds some command in the minors, he might prove helpful at some point.

The 28-year-old hurler punched out three in the contest. McKenzie took over in the fifth inning and navigated a scoreless frame. He then returned for the sixth where he allowed a two-out RBI single to Adael Amador. It was a much-needed bounce back effort for McKenzie who was lit up for four runs over 2/3 of an inning against the Dodgers in his Padres’ debut. He still faces an uphill battle at earning a spot on the Opening Day roster, but this was at least a step in the right direction.

It obviously didn’t do him any good, but McKenzie averaged 95.9 mph with his fastball today. He was at 92.5 mph during his breakthrough 2022 with the Guardians before experiencing arm issues in 2023 and fading to 91.2 mph in 2024. It doesn’t seem like a fluke, either, as he averaged 94.6 mph as a Triple-A reliever last year. It’s hard to say what the future holds in store for McKenzie at this point, given his big-time control issues, but the added velocity will definitely earn him extra opportunities.

McKenzie qualifies as a low-risk lottery ticket for San Diego’s pitching apparatus as a reclamation project after posting a calamitous 11.12 ERA across 5 2/3 innings for the Guardians before being designated for assignment by late April. The 28-year-old former impact stater went unclaimed on waivers and spent the rest of last season in minor league purgatory. He’ll be an interesting name to watch in spring training to see if the Padres can unlock something.

McKenzie headlines a group of 19 players who elected minor league free agency earlier this week, including catcher Matt Thaiss; infielders Scott Kingery, Keston Hiura, Sergio Alcántara, Terrin Vavra and Vimael Machín; outfielders Jose Siri, Connor Joe and Jordyn Adams; and relievers Noah Davis, Scott Blewett, Brooks Kriske, Kevin Herget, Cionel Pérez, Darren McCaughan, Richard Lovelady, José Ruiz and Jordan Weems.

It’s a bit jarring that McKenzie passed through waivers unclaimed following his removal from Cleveland’s 40-man roster last week. The 27-year-old righty will remain with the organization at Triple-A Columbus where he’ll attempt to put his once-promising career back on track. He’s a true reclamation project for the Guardians’ pitching apparatus.

McKenzie reached back for some extra velocity this spring and lost his command in the process. Demoted to the pen prior to Opening Day, he ended up with an 11.12 ERA and a 4/7 K/BB in 5 2/3 innings. It’ll be interesting to see if someone takes a chance on him here. He’s making just $1.95 million, and he’s not eligible for free agency until after 2027, so getting him turned around could provide quite a payoff.

McKenzie was in competition for the last spot in the Guardians’ rotation with Logan Allen. After the 27-year-old right-hander tossed a scoreless seventh inning in relief on Friday against the Giants, it became clear that McKenzie didn’t win that competition. The Guardians made that official Sunday with Allen part of the Opening Day rotation and McKenzie in the bullpen. McKenzie wasn’t on the fantasy radar for mixed leagues this season anyway, but a bullpen role takes him off the table for AL-Only leagues as well.

Cantillo followed by giving up a three-run homer in the eighth to take a blown save and a loss. It’s currently unclear whether these two have been eliminated from the Guardians’ rotation competition. We were assuming McKenzie would have a spot in spite of his spring struggles, especially given that he’s throwing with the best velocity of his career. Luis L. Ortiz and Logan Allen are (or were) competing with McKenzie and Cantillo for the last two spots. McKenzie

Cecconi has resumed throwing, but won’t be ready in time for Opening Day. The 25-year-old righty came over from the Diamondbacks in the offseason Josh Naylor trade and was fighting to break camp in Cleveland’s starting rotation mix. His absence is a hit to the Guardians’ depth, but it does pretty much ensures that Luis L. Ortiz and Triston McKenzie are going to break camp in the big leagues.