Guardians Release Kolby Allard

The Guardians have released southpaw Kolby Allard from their Triple-A affiliate in Columbus, per the transaction log at MiLB.com.

It’s the second time Cleveland has released Allard this season. He opted out of a minor league deal back in mid-May and was granted his release, though he re-signed not long after. Allard has been pitching well in Columbus of late, and mid-June is a common time for opt-outs in minor league deals, so there’s a good chance Allard negotiated another opt-out opportunity into that last deal he signed and has now triggered it again.

The 28-year-old Allard thrived in a swingman role with the Guards last season, tossing 65 innings across 35 appearances (two of them starts) and recording a sharp 2.63 ERA. Pristine command (5.3% walk rate) helped Allard achieve those results, but he’s a soft-tossing lefty who had one of 2025’s lowest strikeout rates (15.8%) and lower-than-average groundball marks as well (38%). Metrics like SIERA (4.41) and FIP (3.54) didn’t support that shinier earned run average.

Allard has made four appearances for Cleveland this season. He’s pitched 8 2/3 innings and been tagged for 10 runs on 16 hits and three walks. His Triple-A work has been much better  — particularly since re-signing in mid-May. Allard has a 4.11 ERA overall through 30 2/3 innings, including a 2.49 ERA, 23.7% strikeout rate and microscopic 2.2% walk rate since signing that last contract with the Guardians.

There’s no new pitch or big velocity spike buoying those results. Allard is still averaging just under 90 mph on a four-seamer that spearheads a five-pitch repertoire (four-seamer, cutter, sinker, curveball, changeup). Teams have a good sense of what to expect from the former first-round pick. He can fill the fifth spot in an injury-marred rotation and slide into a swing role when said rotation gets healthier. Allard can’t be optioned, so he’d have to stick on any club’s 40-man roster once he’s selected or else be exposed to waivers.

It’s also possible Allard quickly re-signs on a new minor league arrangement with Cleveland. He spent all of last year with the Guardians and has now signed five minor league contracts with them dating back to Feb. 2025. The two parties are clearly comfortable with one another and enjoy a good working relationship. As I dove into at greater length in last week’s mailbag for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers, opting out (or electing free agency over an outright) and re-signing offers players the opportunity to negotiate new out clauses and presents several paths to greater earnings.