CLEVELAND — James Karinchak was spotted in the Guardians clubhouse ahead of Thursday’s series finale against Boston at Progressive Field. The right-hander has been on the 60-day injured list since March 28 as he continues to recover from shoulder soreness that he experienced in spring training.
Manager Stephen Vogt said Karinchak will travel during the upcoming six-game road trip to Atlanta and Houston under the watchful eye of Guardians trainers and coaches.
“It’s a good time for our pitching guys to get their eyes on him,” Vogt said. “He’s getting closer to getting to the mound, so we just thought it would be a good time for him to come get with the guys, mix in with them. Also, just a chance for our trainers and pitching coaches to get their hands on him and see where he is at.”
Karinchak has progressed to throwing at 250 feet and is continuing to build toward a return to the mound, Vogt told reporters Tuesday. He is not eligible to come off the injured list until May 30, but will likely need several rehab appearances in minor league games before then.
Karinchak split last season between Cleveland and Triple-A Columbus, spending three extended stints on the major league roster. He finished with a 3.23 ERA in 39 innings across 44 appearances. Karinchack was 2-4 with a 3.90 ERA through 32 outings before he was optioned on June 10.
In his August and September stints with the Guardians, Karinchak made 10 scoreless appearances in 12 outings and posted a 1.59 ERA with 14 strikeouts. Karinchak’s walk numbers climbed in 2023 as he pitched to a 6.46 walks per nine innings and a career-low strikeout to walk ratio of 1.86. Still, the righty held opposing hitters to a .178 batting average and had the third-lowest opponent average among MLB relievers from 2019 to 2013 behind Devin Williams and Josh Hader.
