Guardians add righty reliever to ALCS roster

The Guardians set their roster for their ALCS showdown with the Yankees and announced only one change from their ALDS roster: infielder/outfielder Angel Martinez has been swapped out for right-handed reliever Pedro Avila.

Martinez, 22, was a mid-series addition to the ALDS roster, taking the place of Tyler Freeman after he suffered a left oblique strain. Freeman didn’t get into a game but suffered the injury during a simulated game ramping up for the postseason. Martinez took his spot on the roster but only wound up tallying one plate appearance. With the Guards now facing down a best-of-seven series, they’ll opt for an additional arm in the bullpen rather than a switch-hitting utilityman off the bench.

Avila, 27, was acquired from the Padres in exchange for cash back in April after San Diego had designated him for assignment. He went on to play a major role as a multi-inning option out of Stephen Vogt’s bullpen, appearing in 50 games and tallying 74 2/3 innings with Cleveland. Along the way, he pitched to a 3.25 ERA, fanned 23% of his opponents, issued walks at a 9.4% clip and kept 43.1% of his opponents’ batted balls on the ground.

Avila was primarily used in lower-leverage spots and will presumably work in a similar capacity if called upon in the ALCS. He had several appearances spanning more than one inning in 2024, topping out with a handful of three-inning outings.

The ALCS will kick off Monday night in New York at 7:38pm ET, when the Guards send veteran righty Alex Cobb to the mound against Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon. Neither has fared particularly well in the postseason thus far. Game 2 will feature a battle of staff aces when Cleveland sends young Tanner Bibee to the mound against 2023 Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole. The Yankees will send Clarke Schmidt to the mound in Game 3 on Thursday. The Guardians have not yet announced a starter in Game 3. Matthew Boyd and Gavin Williams are the only two other starters on the roster.