Paul Sewald DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Cleveland Guardians right-handed reliever Paul Sewald (shoulder) suffered an isolated high-grade posterior deltoid strain in his right shoulder on April 28 and landed on the 10-day injured list on April 22 (retroactive to April 20). Sewald will be rechecked at two-week intervals to determine his progress and his readiness to start a return-to-throw program. The Guardians expect the 34-year-old veteran to be out for a while, and without a clear timetable for a return, it's safe to say that we probably won't see him back in the big-league bullpen until at least June. Sewald hadn't been good for the Guardians prior to his injury, either, as he had surrendered eight earned runs on 13 hits (three home runs) while walking two and striking out 15 in 11 2/3 innings over 14 relief appearances. Sewald does bring plenty of experience, though, with 85 career saves in nine MLB seasons.

Cleveland Guardians right-handed reliever Paul Sewald (shoulder) was pulled from his outing early on Monday against the division-rival Minnesota Twins due to right-shoulder inflammation. Sewald threw a pitch in the fifth inning and immediately waived to the dugout to come and take a look at him. The 34-year-old veteran reliever ended up throwing two-thirds of an inning while striking out one and allowing no hits before his injury. Expect the Guardians to send Sewald for testing before relaying the severity of his right-shoulder injury. There's certainly a chance he'll need to go on the 15-day injured list. It's already been a rough first year in Cleveland for Sewald, who came into Monday's contest against the Twins with a 6.55 ERA, a 1.36 WHIP, one save, 14 strikeouts and two walks in 11 innings pitched. We should have an update on Sewald's injury on Tuesday.

The Cleveland Guardians announced on Wednesday that they signed free-agent right-handed reliever Paul Sewald to an undisclosed major-league contract for the 2025 season. The deal includes a mutual option for 2026. It was a rough 2024 season for Sewald in his final year with the Arizona Diamondbacks, as he missed time due to injury and also lost his job as the closer. The 34-year-old veteran finished with a 4.31 ERA (3.95 FIP) and a 1.13 WHIP with 16 saves, a 26.1% strikeout rate and a 6.1% walk rate in 39 2/3 relief innings. He got a late start due to an oblique injury and saved 11 straight saves while being unhittable before everything fell apart. Although Sewald won't be the closer in Cleveland with Emmanuel Clase locked into that role, he did have 81 saves the last four years and should be worth a look in holds leagues as a setup man for the Guardians in 2025.UPDATE: Sewald will make $7 million, and his 2026 option will be worth $10 million.