Battenfield (shoulder) struck out three over three scoreless innings in his rehab start Tuesday with Double-A Akron. He scattered one hit and four walks in the 58-pitch outing.
Battenfield's appearance with Akron was his first at any level since the Guardians placed him on the injured list May 19 with right shoulder inflammation. Because he was later transferred to the 60-day IL, Battenfield won't be eligible for activation until after the All-Star break, but Cleveland isn't expected to be in an immediate rush to activate him. Even with Triston McKenzie (elbow) and Cal Quantrill (shoulder) on the injured list, the Guardians still have a trio of impressive rookies (Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen) on hand to fill out the back end of their rotation.