Guardians add versatile righty Junis on 1-year deal

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Guardians made a late addition to their pitching pool by signing right-hander Jakob Junis to a one-year deal, which the club announced Sunday. It's a $4.5 million contract, according to a source.

To make room for Junis on the 40-man roster, the Guardians placed lefty Sam Hentges on the 60-day injured list.

Junis served a hybrid role for the Brewers and the Reds in a 2024 season affected by injury. He made 24 appearances in all, six as a starter. If the Guardians envision a similar role for Junis in Cleveland, he could be another starting option for a club whose rotation picture is very much in flux. What is certain is that he is capable of providing bulk innings (all but three of his 18 relief appearances in 2024 were for multiple innings) in a Guardians bullpen that was terrific last season but could experience some lag effects from the heavy workload and the deep postseason run.

Across eight MLB seasons with the Royals, Giants, Brewers and Reds, the 32-year-old Junis has compiled a 4.48 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 780 1/3 innings. He¡¯s shown good control, with a 5.9% career walk rate (including a 3.2% walk rate in 2024 that was among the best in the league). His best weapon is a slider that held opponents to a .183 average last season.

The 2024 season was a challenging one for Junis, as he dealt with a right shoulder impingement early in the year and also spent time on the Brewers¡¯ injured list after getting struck by a ball while jogging on-field during batting practice. But he was effective when healthy, with a 2.69 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 67 innings. The Reds acquired him in the midseason deal that sent Frankie Montas to Milwaukee, and Junis wound up making five starts for Cincinnati in the home stretch.