"Aleman, 25, was a 2021 tenth-rounder. The former Florida Gator was added to Cleveland's 40-man roster following the 2024 season in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. He's missed significant time in each of the past two seasons due to a lat strain in 2024 and hernia surgery in 2025. Now healthy, Aleman has gotten out to a dominant start in Columbus."
"The big 6'6″, 235-pound righty is unscored upon through a dozen innings of relief. He's fanned 40.9% of his opponents against a 9.1% walk rate. Aleman's tiny .143 average on balls in play isn't sustainable, nor is it reasonable to expect him to continue on without allowing a home run, but his small-sample results are nevertheless excellent."
"Aleman is a two-pitch reliever, focusing on a classic fastball/slider pairing. However, he's changed up his fastball selection in recent years. In 2024, he used both a sinker and four-seamer. In '25, he went with a pure sinker/slider. This season, he's throwing only four-seamers and sliders with his best results to date. That heater is sitting 96.2 mph and can climb as high as 99. His slider clocks in at an average of 85.6 mph."
"Cleveland has had a middle-of-the-pack bullpen thus far in 2026. Guardians relievers rank 16th in ERA (4.12), seventh in strikeout rate (24.7%) and are tied with the Cubs for 12th in walk rate (9.3%). While those rate stats are generally solid, Guardians relievers have also allowed the third-most homers per nine innings pitched of any team in baseball, at 1.24. That's not due to a fluky homer-to-flyball rate but rather due to the Guardians' status as MLB's most flyball-heavy relief corps. Cleveland relievers have only induced grounders on 34.6% of the batted balls against them - the lowest mark in baseball."
Franco Aleman is being recalled from Triple-A Columbus for a major league debut with Cleveland. The 25-year-old right-hander was a 2021 tenth-round pick and was added to the 40-man roster after the 2024 season to avoid the Rule 5 Draft. He missed significant time in 2024 due to a lat strain and in 2025 due to hernia surgery. Now healthy, he has been unscored upon through a dozen innings in relief in Columbus, striking out opponents at a 40.9% rate while walking 9.1%. He primarily uses a fastball and slider, with his fastball velocity reaching up to 99 mph. Cleveland’s bullpen has been middle-of-the-pack in 2026, with solid strikeout and walk rates but the most flyball-heavy relief group, leading to more home runs and fewer ground balls.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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