Guardians bring back pitcher Shawn Armstrong

Shawn Armstrong (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)

The Cleveland Guardians have signed relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong of New Bern, North Carolina to a one-year contract worth $5.5 million according to Rogers Sportsnet. Armstrong originally played for the Guardians for his first three Major League Baseball seasons from 2015 to 2017. He then played two seasons with the Seattle Mariners (2018 amd 2019), three seasons with the Baltimore Orioles (2019 to 2021), four seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays (2021 to 2024), one season with the Miami Marlins (2022), part of the 2024 MLB season with the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs, and last season with the Texas Rangers. In all, Armstrong has played for eight MLB franchises.

This past season, Armstrong pitched in 71 games and had a record of four wins and three losses with an earned run average of 2.31. During 74 innings pitched, he had a career-high nine saves, 12 holds, 74 strikeouts, and a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 0.81. Armstrong gave up 40 hits, 19 earned runs, five home runs and 20 walks.

During Armstrong’s first three seasons with the Guardians, he pitched in 39 games, and had a record of one win and zero losses with an earned run average of 3.53. In 43 1/3 innings pitched, he gave up 37 hits, 17 earned runs, seven home runs, and 17 walks, to go along with 38 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.25. Armstrong’s win with the Guardians came on April 5, 2017. He pitched a third of an inning in a 9-6 Guardians win over the Rangers.

The Guardians are coming off a topsy turvy season. They struggled in the first half, but had a great second half, and won the American League Central with a record of 88 wins and 74 losses.