Guardians Outright Connor Brogdon

Right-hander Connor Brogdon cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Columbus, per Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. Brogdon was designated for assignment on Wednesday. He’ll head to Cleveland’s “stay ready” camp since the minor league season is over.

Brogdon broke camp with the Guardians and spent the first six weeks of the season in the major league bullpen. He was DFAed in May and has spent most of the year in the minors. The righty missed a chunk of the minor league season due to injury.

Brogdon posted a 5.06 ERA across 16 innings with the Guardians. He trimmed his walk rate to a career-best 4.3%, though his called + swinging-strike rate slipped to an underwhelming 22.3%. Brogdon wasn’t much better with the Clippers, recording a 6.35 ERA over 12 appearances.

The 31-year-old Brogdon has pitched for four teams over his seven-year MLB career. The majority of his opportunities in the majors have come with the Phillies. Cleveland grabbed him on a one-year, $900K deal over the winter after a rough 2025 with the Angels. He’ll head back to free agency this offseason.

Cleveland has had one of the top bullpens in baseball this season. Led by All-Star closer Cade Smith, the club’s relievers have the best SIERA and the fourth-best xFIP in the league. Manager Stephen Vogt will likely lean heavily on the unit in the postseason. The Guardians are a game up on the White Sox in the AL Central heading into Friday.