The Guardians placed Williams on the 15-day injured list Thursday with right elbow inflammation.

EDGE Analysis

Williams suffered the injury just under three weeks ago, when he experienced discomfort in his elbow after taking part in a weighted-ball workout. Though Williams has since resumed throwing, his brief shutdown period after suffering the injury was enough to derail his bid for the Opening Day roster. Williams still looks on track to return at some point in April, as he joined the Guardians for their season-opening road trip and will soon head back to the team's spring facility in Arizona to start throwing bullpen sessions before heading out on a rehab assignment, per MLB.com.

Williams (elbow) is scheduled to resume a throwing program after three or four days off but will begin the season on the 15-day injured list, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Though the Guardians are optimistic about Williams' long-term health outlook after a recent MRI came back clean, his sore elbow will prevent him from breaking camp as a member of the Opening Day roster. Williams, who hurt his elbow last week during a weighted-ball workout, has shown improvement since being scratched ahead of a Cactus League start last Sunday, and he should be able to start ramping up early next week. Provided Williams steers clear of any setbacks with his elbow as he builds up to a starter-level workload during what remains of spring training as well as the early part of the regular season, he could be ready to return from the IL in the minimum 15 days. The Guardians will likely formally place him on the IL closer to Opening Day.

Guardians pitching coach Carl Willis said Wednesday that he believes Williams (elbow) will be cleared to resume throwing "soon," Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Willis noted that the Guardians are still in information-gathering mode with their young right-hander's elbow injury, but Williams "continues to improve" and could be ready to throw shortly. Williams hurt his pitching elbow while throwing weighted balls during a workout, but the team hasn't seemed overly concerned about the injury.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said that Williams isn't available to pitch in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Reds after recently experiencing some discomfort in his right elbow, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Vogt didn't seem overly worried about the young right-hander, who was scratched out of an "abundance of caution" and should resume throwing in a few days. Williams, who has struck out nine batters over 4.2 innings this spring, apparently sustained the injury while throwing weighted balls in a recent workout.

Williams struck out four and walked over over two hitless innings versus the Angels on Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

Thursday was Williams' Cactus League debut, and it couldn't have gone much better. The right-hander burst into the majors in 2023 with a 3.29 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 81:37 K:BB over 82 innings across 16 starts last season. His 4.04 FIP suggests he was a little lucky, but at 24 years old, he's still got room to grow. Williams should be considered a favorite to begin 2024 in the Guardians' rotation.

Williams isn't listed as one of the Guardians' three scheduled starting pitchers for the team's season-closing series with the Tigers this weekend, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

EDGE Analysis

Williams last pitched Sept. 17, and though the Guardians haven't provided a clear update on his status, the 24-year-old rookie has presumably been dropped from the rotation for workload management reasons now that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention. Since he's still part of the 28-man active roster, Williams could be available out of the bullpen for the final three games of the season, though the Guardians may prefer to stay away from him. If Williams has in fact been shut down, he'll close the campaign with a 3-5 record, 3.29 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 81:37 K:BB across 82 innings with Cleveland following his June promotion from Triple-A Columbus. Williams should be assured an Opening Day rotation spot in 2024 on the heels of a strong first season in the big leagues.

Williams (3-5) allowed one run on four hits and two walks over six innings Sunday, striking out seven and earning a win over the Rangers.

EDGE Analysis

Williams gave up a run in the second inning and didn't face any issues the rest of the way as he cruised to a win. He walked four batters in each of his previous two outings but was much more efficient Sunday, tossing 62 of 97 pitches for strikes. Williams owns a 2.50 ERA over his last four appearances, lowering his season ERA to 3.29 through 82 frames. The rookie's next start is currently lined up to be at home against the Orioles.

Williams allowed three runs on five hits and four walks while striking out two over six innings in a no-decision versus the Giants on Monday.

EDGE Analysis

Williams gave up a solo home run to Mike Yastrzemski on his second pitch, but he was able to settle in. Williams found more trouble in the third inning and was a bit wild with four walks, matching his season high for the fifth time. The rookie right-hander has given up four runs across his last 12 innings over three appearances. He's now at a 3.43 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 74:35 K:BB through 76 innings through 15 starts overall. Williams is projected for a home start versus the Rangers over the weekend.

Williams (2-5) earned the win Wednesday, allowing one run on one hit and four walks over five innings against the Twins. He struck out four.

EDGE Analysis

Williams struggled a bit with his command Wednesday, issuing a walk in four of his five frames while also allowing a runner to advance to second on a wild pitch. However, the rookie right-hander was still able to get the job done, limiting the Twins to a single hit to help secure his second win of the season. It was a nice bounceback outing for Williams after exiting his previous start with right knee soreness, and it marked his first win since July 8. On the downside, he did match his season high with four walks and has now issued multiple free passes in three of his last four outings.

Williams was removed from his start Tuesday against the Twins due to right knee soreness, Joe Noga of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

EDGE Analysis

Williams was pulled after falling down on an awkward delivery during the first inning. There's been no word on the severity of Williams' injury, but the Guardians will likely provide more information in the near future. The 24-year-old holds a 3.52 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across 64 innings in the majors this season.