Guardians notes: Cleveland surprises by promoting Hunter Gaddis to make MLB debut

CLEVELAND — When Hunter Gaddis was announced as the Guardians' starting pitcher for Friday night's game against the Astros, the first words out of fans' mouths was likely, "Who?" Gaddis, a 24-year-old right-hander who began the season at Double-A Akron, was a surprise choice for the Guardians, who were forced into a predicament when the potential starter for Friday — Kirk McCarty — was employed out of the bullpen in Thursday's series opener. Instead of recalling left-haNder Konnor Pilkington, who has already made 12 appearances (nine starts) on the big league level, Cleveland went with Gaddis to make his major league debut. "I'm not sure this is a name you think of, just because of his age and his experience," manager Terry Francona said of Gaddis, a fifth-round draft pick in 2019. "But the way guys go through their seasons dictates when they come (up). "There's things that go into it. There's also things like, coming up we have Toronto (Friday through Sunday). We have a doubleheader when we come back (against the Tigers on Aug. 15). So there's things that we're trying to make sure we have lined up and then if there's either-ors, we have a contingency plan. The other thing is (injured right-hander Aaron) Civale. He's pitching (Friday night at Triple-A Columbus), too. So, there's a lot to balance." Gaddis went 4-3 with a 4.24 ERA in 15 appearances (14 starts) for Akron before earning a promotion to Triple-A, where he's made two starts and allowed three earned runs with 12 strikeouts over 10 innings. "He's got the frame to pitch innings," Francona said of the 6-foot-6, 250-pounder. "Big, strong kid, good velocity, good change-up ... There's a lot to like. This start isn't going to make or break his career. Obviously we hope he does great. But trying to ask him to do something before you kind of get to know him, that's not fair to the kid." Francona said he has heard good things about Gaddis — a Canton, Ga., native. "He's a quiet kid. They say his personality kind of shows more on the mound, which I'm fine with," said Francona. "He was great. I texted him (Thursday) and he was driving. So I told him 'Quit texting and drive.' But by all accounts, he's a really good competitor, not the loudest guy. That's OK." l To make room for Gaddis on the 26-man roster, Cleveland optioned McCarty back to the minors and designated outfielder Alex Call for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. DH derby Francona has the luxury of being able to employ multiple players at the designated hitter spot, giving him versatility while keeping some of his regulars off their feet for the most part. "That's the idea," he said. "These guys have played a lot. In the past, we'd have never been able to have (Amed) Rosario do something like that. He'd have to take a day off. We're thinking about doing it (Saturday) maybe with (Steven) Kwan because this kid has played a ton and he doesn't have the biggest body in the world. Try to use it to our advantage, that's what we always try to do." Problems with Houston Francona was asked what stands out to him about the American League West–leading Astros, who entered Friday owning the second-best record in the AL — 1½ games behind the AL-East leading Yankees. "You want one thing, because there's about seven," he joked. "The biggest thing that stands out — other than they're really good — is they've put together a bullpen that's not only dominant but has big reverse splits. Most of their righties are just carving up lefties and a couple of them have .430-.450 OPS (against them). So they're bringing guys in, they're not matching up. They're just bringing them in." l Cy Young candidate Justin Verlander's scoreless six-inning start Thursday gave him 130 innings on the season, which triggered a $25 million option for next year. Verlander, who missed last year recovering from Tommy John surgery, can decline the option and test the free-agent market. Roundin' third Outfielder Nolan Jones has cooled substantially since a red-hot start to his career — 7-for-13 with eight RBIs over his first four games. Since then, he's batting .180 (9-for-50) in 17 games and is 1-for-14 with seven strikeouts over his last five games. Contact Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @CAwesomeheimer on Twitter.