Sewald earned the save by striking out the side in order during Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Tigers.
The 35-year-old was called upon for the ninth inning after Arizona turned a 5-1, eighth-inning deficit into a two-run lead, and he dispatched the middle of Detroit's lineup on 13 pitches. Sewald now has two saves through three scoreless appearances this year, already matching his saves total from a bumpy 2025 regular season with Cleveland and Detroit. Things can change fast this early in the season, but Sewald has quickly established himself as Arizona's top option for saves.
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Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: Nails down first save
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Sewald earned a save against the Tigers on Monday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning of work.
It didn't look like there would be any save opportunities after Arizona built an 8-0 lead through five frames, but Detroit made a late rally to get close. Sewald was summoned to protect a three-run lead in the ninth frame, and he avoided any drama by retiring the side in order on 12 pitches. Manager Torey Lovullo previously hinted that Sewald might be the favorite for early save chances, and that became a firmer scenario given Monday's bullpen usage. Sewald certainly has plenty of experience in the role, having racked up 81 regular-season saves between 2021 and 2024.
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Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: Cleans up loss
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Sewald retired the lone batter he faced in the eighth inning of Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Dodgers.
Arizona led 2-1 in the eighth inning with Sewald warming up in the bullpen, presumably to save the game in the ninth, but he never got the chance after Juan Morillo allowed a two-run home run, setting up Sewald to get the final out of the inning in a non-save situation. It was the veteran right-hander's first appearance of the season.
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Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: Potential closer
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Arizona manager Torey Lovullo mentioned Sewald as a potential closer candidate Wednesday, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.
Lovullo has yet to name a closer and said he probably won't until the regular season begins, but Sewald has the most experience of the group competing for the role. "I love where [Paul] Sewald is at," the manager said. "He's been throwing the heck out of the ball. We have other guys that have been doing the exact same thing. So, out of fairness to the group, I probably won't say anything until Opening Day." Those comments came after Sewald authored a fourth consecutive scoreless Cactus League appearance. Overall, he has allowed two runs over six innings (3.00 ERA) with zero walks and four strikeouts. Kevin Ginkel (11.81 spring ERA) and Ryan Thompson (6.14 ERA) are also among the relievers that could get save opportunities early in the regular season.
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Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: Adds velo
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Sewald allowed one run on one hit and struck out one over one inning in Saturday's spring game against the Angels.
Sewald showed improved velocity in his Cactus League debut, which came in the fourth inning against some of the Angels expected starters. The 35-year-old reliever averaged 92 mph on the eight fastballs he threw, a couple of ticks up from the 90 mph he averaged in 2025 and more in line with the velocity he showed in his previous stint with the Diamondbacks. Sewald credited the improved velo to the work he put in at Driveline over the offseason, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports. With Arizona having no set closer at this point in spring training, Sewald is in the mix for save opportunities along with Kevin Ginkel and Ryan Thompson.
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Paul Sewald: Next year's option declined
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The Tigers declined Sewald's $10 million mutual option for 2026 on Thursday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Sewald exercised his part of the option, but the Tigers declined their side and will pay the reliever a $1 million buyout instead. The 35-year-old Sewald was limited to only 19.2 regular-season innings in 2025 due to a shoulder issue, posting a 4.58 ERA and 20:6 K:BB between the Guardians and Tigers. He finished the season healthy, but Sewald didn't pitch during the wild-card series versus the Guardians and was not included on the Tigers' ALDS roster.
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Tigers' Paul Sewald: Nearing return?
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Sewald (shoulder), who has logged two scoreless innings in a rehab assignment with High-A West Michigan, could return from the injured list as soon as Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
Sewald has yet to pitch for Detroit after getting acquired in a trade before the deadline. The 33-year-old righty last saw the mound on July 11 when he was with Cleveland, and he posted a 4.70 ERA and 18 strikeouts across 15.1 innings for the Guardians before going down with a right shoulder strain. The Tigers are hoping Sewald can provide some veteran bullpen depth for the stretch run, though he's unlikely to see save chances ahead of Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan (groin) once he's healthy.
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Tigers' Paul Sewald: Returns to game action
Rotowire
Sewald (shoulder) began a rehab assignment with High-A West Michigan on Thursday, Emily Waldon of Baseball America reports.
Sewald landed on the injured list in mid-July and has been throwing for around a month. Due to his long layoff, he may need to make several rehab appearances before being activated.
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Tigers' Paul Sewald: Faces hitters
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Sewald (shoulder) threw live batting practice Monday at the Tigers' facility in Florida, MLB.com reports.
Sewald will likely face hitters on one or two more occasions before the Tigers send him out on a minor-league rehab assignment. Acquired from the Guardians on July 31, Sewald has yet to make his Tigers debut while recovering from a moderate teres major strain that he sustained prior to the trade. He's eligible to return from the 60-day injured list Sept. 10 and could be activated shortly after that date.
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Tigers' Paul Sewald: Completes another side session
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Sewald (shoulder) threw his second bullpen session Tuesday since resuming his throwing program earlier this month, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Sewald threw all fastballs in his first side session over the weekend, but he may have been able to incorporate some breaking pitches into Tuesday's workout. The right-hander is expected to complete at least a couple more bullpen sessions before he advances to facing hitters, and eventually, returns from the 60-day injured list in September. Sewald has yet to make his Tigers debut after he was initially placed on the Guardians' IL on July 15 due to a right shoulder strain before being traded to Detroit just over two weeks later.
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Tigers' Paul Sewald: Throwing off mound Saturday
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Sewald (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Saturday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
It appears to be the first time Sewald has thrown off a mound since he was diagnosed with a moderate teres major strain in mid-July. The veteran reliever is eligible for activation from the 60-day injured list Sept. 10 and hopes to join the Tigers' bullpen for the stretch run.
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Tigers' Paul Sewald: Moved to 60-day IL
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The Tigers transferred Sewald (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Thursday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Acquired earlier in the day in a trade with the Guardians, Sewald is now shifting off the 40-man roster to make room for another reliever, Kyle Finnegan. Sewald is working his way back from a moderate teres major strain and now isn't eligible for activation until Sept. 10.
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Tigers' Paul Sewald: Dealt to Tigers
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The Tigers acquired Sewald (shoulder) from the Guardians on Thursday in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Sewald was diagnosed with a moderate teres major strain over the All-Star break and is not expected to be ready to pitch for the Tigers until early September, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network. The veteran reliever holds a 4.70 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 18:4 K:BB in 15.1 innings this season.
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Guardians' Paul Sewald: Appears far away from return
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Sewald (shoulder) was diagnosed with a moderate teres major strain after undergoing an MRI over the All-Star break, MLB.com reports.
Sewald was initially placed on the injured list July 15 due to a right shoulder strain, but the Guardians didn't offer up a timeline for his return. The fact that Sewald has been diagnosed with a moderate strain rather than a mild one suggests that he likely won't be in line for a brief stint on the shelf, and his absence could end up stretching into September. Prior to landing on the shelf, Sewald made 18 appearances out of the Cleveland bullpen and logged a 4.70 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 18:4 K:BB in 15.1 innings.
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Guardians' Paul Sewald: Back to IL with shoulder injury
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The Guardians placed Sewald on the 15-day injured list Tuesday due to right shoulder strain, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
Sewald returned to action for the Guardians on July 5 after he had been shelved since late April due to a right posterior deltoid strain, and now he's back on the IL with another shoulder-related issue. The veteran reliever will be eligible to return July 27, but it's not yet clear what his timeline for a return looks like. Sewald has been limited to only 15.1 innings this season, collecting a 4.70 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 18:4 K:BB.
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Guardians' Paul Sewald: Activated from injured list
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The Guardians reinstated Sewald (shoulder) from the injured list Saturday.
A strained right shoulder has kept Sewald on the shelf since late April. He began a rehab assignment in the minors June 25, during which he gave up two earned runs on four hits and no walks while striking out five batters across four innings. Now fully recovered, the 35-year-old will likely claim a middle-relief role in Cleveland's bullpen, pushing out Doug Nikhazy.
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Guardians' Paul Sewald: Dealing with shoulder inflammation
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Sewald left Monday's game against the Twins due to right shoulder inflammation, Chris Assenheimer of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Sewald was lifted from Monday's appearance after retiring a pair of Minnesota batters, and further evaluation revealed inflammation in his throwing shoulder. The team will presumably wait to see how he feels Tuesday and could send him for additional scans before making a decision on whether a trip to the injured list is necessary.
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Guardians' Paul Sewald: Cedes homer in win
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Sewald allowed two runs on two hits while striking out one over 1.1 innings in Monday's 6-4 win over the Yankees.
Sewald got the last two outs of the seventh inning before getting stung by a Jazz Chisholm two-run blast in the eighth. He's allowed three home runs and has a 6.10 ERA over 10.1 innings (12 outings). Sewald, who has experience as a closer, could nevertheless garner save opportunities at some point if the issues Emmanuel Clase (two blown saves, 7.84 ERA, 2.23 WHIP) has exhibited thus far prompts manager Stephen Vogt to try someone else in the role, at least temporarily.
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Guardians' Paul Sewald: Earns save in Cleveland debut
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Sewald earned the save in Thursday's 7-4 extra-inning win over the Royals, striking out one in a perfect 10th inning.
After Kansas City tied the game off Emmanuel Clase in the bottom of the ninth, Sewald successfully preserved a three-run lead in the 10th to earn the save in his first appearance with the Guardians. Sewald, who signed a one-year deal with Cleveland in the offseason, started the 2024 season as the Diamondbacks' closer, though he struggled in the second half before eventually losing the ninth-inning job. While Sewald won't overtake Clase, it looks like the 34-year-old right-hander will be trusted with a high-leverage role.
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Guardians' Paul Sewald: Signs on with Cleveland
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The Guardians signed Sewald to a one-year, $6 million contract Wednesday that includes a $10 million mutual option for 2026, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
He'll get a $1 million buyout if the mutual option isn't exercised, bringing the total guarantee to $7 million. Sewald missed some time with injury and lost his closer job with the Diamondbacks in 2024, ultimately finishing with a 4.31 ERA and 43:10 K:BB over 39.2 innings. However, from 2021 to 2023 he held a 2.95 ERA and had a 33.9 percent strikeout rate. Sewald will help set up for Emmanuel Clase in Cleveland.
