Guardians send Triston McKenzie to minors and activate Gavin Williams from IL

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Cleveland Guardians are sending Triston McKenzie to the minors to address his pitching issues.

The AL Central leaders optioned the right-hander to Triple-A Columbus on Sunday, two days after he threw a season-low 2 1/3 innings in a 10-3 loss to the Royals. McKenzie hasn’t made it past the third inning in any of his last three starts.

McKenzie is 3-5 with a 5.11 ERA in 16 starts. He gave up 19 home runs in 75 2/3 innings.

To fill McKenzie’s place, the team activated right-hander Gavin Williams from the 60-day injured list. Williams did not pitch for Cleveland this season after injuring his elbow throwing a weighted ball during spring training.

Williams had to regain his arm strength over the past two months and made seven appearances in the minor leagues before the Guardians felt comfortable bringing him up. He threw 82 shots in his last game.

On Saturday, Chris Antonetti, the team’s president of baseball operations, said the club will continue to be patient with Williams, who will likely be on the field for now.

A former first-round draft pick, the 24-year-old Williams went 3-5 with a 3.29 ERA in 16 starts as a rookie in 2023.

The Guardians may want to add another starter before the trade deadline. They signed veteran lefty Matthew Cook to a one-year contract on Saturday, but he won’t be ready to join the rotation until August after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year.