Guardians righty Andrew Walters underwent an internal brace procedure to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow this week, reports Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. That will cost him most, if not all of the 2027 season.
It’s another setback for the talented Walters, whose 2025 campaign came to an end last June when he required surgery to repair a tendon in his right lat. The 25-year-old right-hander was healthy enough to go on a rehab assignment back in April. The Guardians activated him from the injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Columbus in mid-May. He pitched just 5 1/3 more minor league innings, allowing five runs, before landing on the minor league injured list. He hasn’t pitched since.
Selected with the No. 62 overall pick in 2023, Walters has ranked 18th or better in Cleveland’s system in each of the past three offseasons, per Baseball America. He made his major league debut in 2024, not even 14 months after being drafted out of the University of Miami, and pitched 8 2/3 innings of one-run ball down the stretch as the Guardians made a run to the playoffs. Walters chipped in another three innings (one run allowed, four strikeouts, two walks) during that year’s American League Division Series. He pitched only 1 1/3 innings in the majors in 2025, however, before suffering that lat injury.
Despite being deemed MLB-ready barely a year after his draft selection, Walters has only 10 major league innings under his belt. He’s allowed two runs (1.80 ERA) with an 8-to-5 K/BB ratio in that time. While his 21.1% strikeout rate is a bit shy of average, his 16% swinging-strike rate shows Walters has no issue missing bats. That’s also true of his time in the minors; Walters has a career 3.01 ERA in the minor leagues and has punched out a gaudy 38.7% of his opponents there — albeit against a 13.9% walk rate upon which he’ll need to improve.
Any such gains will now be on hold until the 2028 season. The injury puts Walters and the team in a tricky spot. The Guardians could carry him on the major league 60-day injured list all of next season. That’d free up his 40-man spot but would require allowing Walters to accrue a full year of major league service and salary. Keeping him on the minor league injured list all next year would amount to operating with only 39 spots on the 40-man roster, however.
Cleveland could also non-tender Walters this November — the only point on the schedule at which a player can be released directly without first needing to clear waivers — and try to re-sign him on a minor league contract. However, he’d still have the opportunity to talk with other clubs if the Guards go that route. It’s not out of the question that someone would scoop him up on a big league deal. If the Guards feel he can be a long-term piece in the bullpen, they’re better off going the 60-day route, but that’d reduce their offseason 40-man flexibility, as there’s no injured list to utilize until spring training opens.
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