Guardians Re-Sign Lefty Recovering From Tommy John Surgery

He'll likely miss the entire 2023 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, but that hasn't stopped flamethrowing reliever Anthony Gose from earning the faith of the Cleveland Guardians. 

Sources: Left-hander Anthony Gose is in agreement on a two-year minor-league contract with the Cleveland Guardians. Gose continues to rehab after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September. The deal pays $1 million per season if he’s the big leagues.

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) December 1, 2022

MLB Insider Robert Murray reports that Gose has agreed to a two-year minor league deal that pays him $1M per season if he’s in the big leagues. 

Gose, 32, spent parts of five years in the majors as an outfielder from 2012 to 2016 with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Detroit Tigers. But he never quite reached the success expected of him after being a 2nd round pick in 2008. He had blazing speed in the outfield and on the basepaths, but only managed a .309 lifetime on-base percentage and a .240 average. 

He then took some years off to reinvent himself as a pitcher, and it seems to be paying dividends for him. 

In September of 2021, Gose returned to the major leagues for the first time since 2016. Now a hard-throwing reliever, he regularly hit 100 mph on the radar gun.  

Tonight, Anthony Gose played in his first MLB game since 2016 after converting to a pitcher.

He was throwing a casual 💯. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jwPeyH7a8y

— MLB (@MLB) September 21, 2021

He threw 21 innings of relief for the Guardians in 2022, with a 4.71 ERA and a sizzling 12 K/9. But an ulnar collateral ligament injury in September forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery. 

He was DFA'd a couple of weeks back, but the Guardians are obviously confident he can return in 2024 with his newly-constructed elbow. 

Photo: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports