The Guardians announced this afternoon that they have picked up a contract for the right-hander Code Heuer and optioned him to Triple-A. The Rangers had cap space available on their 40-man roster, so a corresponding move wasn’t necessary to get the job done. In addition, the club announced that they have re-signed the right-hander Pedro Avila in a minor league deal.
Heuer, 29, was selected by the White Sox in the sixth round back in 2018. He made it to the majors with Chicago during the shortened 2020 campaign, impressing with a 1.52 ERA in 21 appearances, but struggled early in the 2021 season. Finally he was sent across the city to Mantshontsho as part of the road Craig Kimbrel/Nick Madrigal trade at the 2021 trade deadline, and he appeared to find some of his earlier success when he arrived in Chicago with a 3.14 ERA in 25 appearances. Heuer has been in a strong position to be a key part of the bullpen on Chicago’s north side as they enter their rebuild.
That wasn’t intended, however, as Spring Training 2022 begins a series of campaigns marred by injuries to the right-hander. Heuer underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022 and followed that up with a fractured elbow midway through the 2023 season, when he underwent reoperation. He made just 15 appearances from 2022-24 before returning to life as a member of Rangers in 2025. Between the Rangers and Tigers organizations, Heuer posted a 3.14 ERA in 48 2/3 innings of work at the Triple-A level and struck out 30.5% of his opponents. The results at the big league level didn’t return right away, however, and the righty gave up three runs, all earned in 4 2/3 innings in the majors last year.
He returned to the open market this offseason and wrestled with the guards on a minor league deal. He struggled this spring, with a 9.00 ERA in eight innings of work, but struck out 11 against five walks. It was an interesting enough performance for Cleveland that they decided to add him to their 40-man roster before the season started, although Heuer will begin the year in Triple-A as a depth option and move up the roster rather than part of the Opening Day Program. If Heuer can produce at the same level he did in Triple-A last year, it seems like a safe bet to expect to see him in the bullpen with the bullpen at some point this year.
In other Guardians bullpen news, right-hander Pedro Avila is returning to the club on a minor league deal after being released by the team to pursue other opportunities when he didn’t make the roster. Avila has apparently decided his best chance to return to the majors is with Cleveland on a minor league deal, so he will head to Triple-A alongside Heuer and wait for a big league opportunity as an undrafted veteran. Avila has five years of big league experience under his belt, mostly with the Padres, but he joined the Rangers in the 2024 season and posted a solid 3.25 ERA in 50 club appearances. He spent 2025 with the Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball before returning to the Guardians on a separate contract back in December. He’s pitched solidly in Spring Training, with a 3.24 ERA through 8 1/3 innings of work, but his minuscule 11.8% strikeout rate may stop the Guardians from including him in their Opening Day lineup.
