Guardians Designate Connor Brogdon For Assignment

The Guardians announced that right-hander Shawn Armstrong has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Fellow righty Connor Brogdon has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

The Guards signed Armstrong to a one-year deal with a $5.5MM guarantee in the offseason. He had just wrapped up a strong 2025 campaign with the Rangers, tossing 74 innings with a 2.31 earned run average, 26.1% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate.

Cleveland presumably hoped for something like that this year but didn’t get it. Armstrong has gone on the IL for a groin strain and then a calf strain. Around the injuries, he has tossed 33 innings so far this year. His 22.6% strikeout rate is still pretty decent but a drop from last year. Meanwhile, his walk rate has almost doubled, getting to an awful 13% clip. That’s led to a 4.91 ERA.

The Guardians are almost certainly heading into the postseason and will hope that Armstrong can quickly get back on track. With a few games left in the regular season, he might be able to make two or three appearances to try to make his case for a spot on the playoff roster.

Armstrong’s return will lead to Brogdon losing his roster spot again. Brogdon signed a big league deal in the offseason, one with a modest $900K guarantee. He was designated for assignment in May and cleared waivers. He was added back to the roster earlier this month. Around the transactions, he has tossed 16 innings for Cleveland with a 5.06 ERA. His 21.4% strikeout rate is close to par and his 4.3% walk rate is excellent but he has been hurt by the long ball, allowing five in that small sample.

After being outrighted in May, the Guards sent Armstrong to their Arizona Complex for most of the summer. He didn’t join Triple-A Columbus until August, then posted a 6.35 ERA in 11 1/3 innings for that club before coming up to the big leagues.

Now that he has been designated for assignment, he will have to be placed on waivers since the trade deadline has passed. He should clear based on this year’s results and the lack of time remaining in the season.

He has more than three years of service time but less than five, meaning he could reject an outright assignment but would have to forfeit his remaining salary commitments if he elects free agency. There’s only about $24K left to be paid out at this point but that gives him a modest incentive to accept. On top of that, he could perhaps be added back to the roster for the playoffs if some injuries create a need.