Sam Hentges DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Sam Hentges (shoulder) was placed on the 60-day injured list. In a corresponding move, the team added right-handed pitcher Jakob Junis to the 40-man roster. The Guardians signed Junis to a one-year deal earlier in the week. Hentges underwent surgery to repair the capsule and labrum in his throwing shoulder in September, which is expected to keep him sidelined during the entire 2025 campaign. Last season, Hentges held a 3.04 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP across 23 2/3 innings of work. He tallied nine holds and typically was deployed in a high-leverage role. He generated a strong 2.57 xERA and an elite 29.7 percent strikeout rate. With Hentges set to miss the entire campaign, fantasy managers should expect Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis to see most of the eighth-inning opportunities.

Cleveland Guardians pitchers Sam Hentges (shoulder) and Daniel Espino (shoulder) both continue to progress from their shoulder surgeries in spring training. Hentges is five months post right-shoulder anterior capsule repair and is likely to begin a return-to-throw progression in March. The timeline for a full recovery from his surgery is typically 12 to 14 months. Meanwhile, Espino is 11 months post right-shoulder anterior capsule revision repair. The Guardians are planning for Espino to return to game activity int he 16- to 18-month range post-operative. Hentges is expected to miss the entire 2025 season, but it's possible that Espino will be ready to go at some point in the second half this year. Espino is recovering from a second surgery on his right shoulder and has already missed the last two seasons in the minors.

Cleveland Guardians left-handed reliever Sam Hentges (shoulder) will have shoulder surgery next week and is expected to miss 12 to 14 months. More specifically, Hentges will go under the knife on Sept. 18 to have the capsule and labrum in his left shoulder repaired. The former fourth-round pick in 2014 was moved to a full-time relief role two seasons ago and has been solid out of the bullpen for the Guardians ever since. In 25 appearances in relief this year before injuring his shoulder, he had a 3.04 ERA (3.18 FIP), a 0.97 WHIP and a 27:5 K:BB in 23 2/3 frames. The 28-year-old also missed the first five weeks of the 2023 season due to shoulder issues, so hopefully he'll be able to return to Cleveland's bullpen fully healthy in 2026 after most likely sitting out all of next season.