Aaron Civale headed to 15-day injured list, Peyton Battenfield selected

The Cleveland Guardians have placed Aaron Civale on the 15-day injured list with an oblique strain, the team is reporting. Peyton Battenfield will replace him on the active roster and presumably take over his spot in the rotation, though it hasn’t officially been announced who will replace Civale’s next scheduled start on Wednesday.

Civale made two starts so far in 2023 and allowed four earned runs in 12.2 innings. His first start was the most promising — a seven-inning shutout of the Mariners in which he utilized all five of his pitches to keep batters off-balance. He missed a big chunk of last season with injuries to his left glute, wrist, and forearm at various points.

Battenfield was acquired from the Rays in 2021 in exchange for Jordan Luplow and right-handed pitcher DJ Johnson. FanGraphs ranked him as the Guardians’ No. 40 prospect heading into 2023, projecting him as a middle relief arm rather than a starting pitcher. He, like Civale, doesn’t have a ton of velocity but features half a dozen pitches he can use and bend to his will to get outs.

Battenfield’s lone Triple-A start this season came on April 4, where he threw 28 four-seamers, 25 cutters, six curveballs, and five changeups. He allowed two earned runs and struck out three in his five innings of work. He should be plenty rested to take over Civale’s scheduled start against the Yankees on Wednesday if needed.

Xzavion Curry, who threw five innings of relief back on April 3 but hasn’t pitched since he threw a single inning on Friday, could be another option to start against New York.