Guardians plan to carry 3 catchers to begin 2023 season; Opening Day pitching staff set
In the postseason last year, the Guardians chose to carry three catchers after they added Bo Naylor to the playoff roster alongside defense-first options Austin Hedges and Luke Maile.
With less than a week until Opening Day, it looks as though they could again go with that uncommon roster construction, only this time with an entirely new trio of catchers.
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In terms of the bench construction on the position-player side, outfielder Will Brennan and Gabriel Arias have jobs, barring any injuries. The Guardians are keen on getting Will Brennan at-bats as an often-used fourth outfielder, and Arias' defensive versatility in being able to play basically anywhere on the field affords them some roster flexibility.
That left two bench spots available, with at least one going to a catcher to back up Mike Zunino. Richie Palacios, Roman Quinn and Tyler Freeman seemed to be the leading contenders for the other spot, but the Guardians could instead opt to bring three catchers and rely on Brennan and Arias to cover everything else behind the starting lineup.
It means Zunino, Cam Gallagher and Meibrys Viloria could all break camp with the big league club. It'll offer the Guardians some added protection for Zunino, who is coming off of thoracic outlet syndrome surgery that ended his 2022 season. Neither Gallagher or Viloria are on the 40-man roster, so it would require two corresponding moves before Opening Day.
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The Guardians feel Zunino is healthy going into Thursday's season-opening game in Seattle. But they also want to ensure they can be cautious with him and his shoulder if needed. Zunino signed a one-year, $6 million deal this offseason.
"I think he's healthy. I do. … I think we have an obligation not to just run him into the ground," Guardians manager Terry Francona told reporters in Goodyear, Ariz. "But this way, if we want to pinch-hit, we can, and we don't have to worry about running Zunino out there and hurting him."
Palacios, Quinn and Freeman have all been told they won't be making the Opening Day roster. The Guardians could still make a roster move for somebody outside the organization between now and Opening Day, of course. If not, they'll likely again have three catchers on the active roster, at least to start the season. That setup won't last long, though.
"With Arias' ability to play everywhere, that kind of saves us," Francona said. "And I think … we really want to get these guys at-bats, and at some point it's going to change. We know that. But I think this is probably the best way to start the year."
Palacios, Freeman and others will be able to get regular at-bats at Triple-A. At times, those 40-man roster construction situations can have as much of an impact on the Opening Day roster as anything.
"We could have easily taken Richie, he could have sat on the bench — which I'm sure anybody wants to make the big league roster — but for his development, that doesn't really help," Francona said. "Him playing every day is going to do him a world of good. And right now we want to get Brennan in games, and if you have two [guys], you end up almost doing a disservice to both of them."
Guardians set 2023 Opening Day pitching staff with Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis to round out bullpen
The Guardians have set their Opening Day pitching staff. The bullpen had only one open spot for most of the spring, but that became two after Sam Hentges was sidelined with shoulder inflammation.
Tim Herrin, a lefty, was already a top contender to join the eight-man bullpen even before Hentges, the only left-hander with a secure spot, went down with the injury. Herrin will now fill the void as the lefty option in the bullpen while progressing at the major league level.
"He did a good job and we told him, we said hey, we wanted him to be excited about making it, but he's not the finished product. We recognize that," Francona said of Herrin. "But the hope is that while he's developing, he can help us win and he can still develop and that will do the best we can."Hunter Gaddis offers the bullpen a multi-inning option, while Xzavion Curry and others will join the starting rotation in Triple-A Columbus.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians could have 3 catchers on 2023 Opening Day roster
