The White Sox claimed Nikhazy off waivers from the Guardians on Monday and optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte.
Nikhazy was buried on the Guardians' starting pitching depth chart, but he should have a better chance at emerging as a big-league rotation option for the White Sox at some point later on in 2026. The southpaw made two appearances in the majors for Cleveland last season but otherwise spent the entire campaign at Triple-A Columbus, producing a 5.02 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 87:43 K:BB across 86 innings.
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Guardians' Doug Nikhazy: DFA'd by Cleveland
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The Guardians designated Nikhazy for assignment Monday.
The move opens a spot on the 40-man roster for Kolby Allard, whose contract was selected by the Guardians from Triple-A Columbus. Nikhazy opened the season in Triple-A after being optioned in early March, but he'll likely stay in the organization given that he has two minor-league options left, assuming he clears waivers.
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Guardians' Doug Nikhazy: Optioned to Triple-A
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The Guardians optioned Nikhazy to Triple-A Columbus on Saturday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
Nikhazy entered spring training as an unlikely candidate to make the Guardians' Opening Day roster, and the 27-year-old southpaw will indeed open the 2026 season in the minors. He spent most of the 2025 campaign in Triple-A, where he went 5-7 in 21 games (19 starts) while posting a 5.02 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 87:43 K:BB across 86 innings. Nikhazy appeared in two regular-season games for Cleveland in 2025 and could see some starts in the majors in 2026 when the Guardians need an extra arm in the rotation.
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Guardians' Doug Nikhazy: Returns from IL
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Nikhazy (elbow) struck out three batters and allowed one hit and no walks over two scoreless innings Saturday for Triple-A Columbus after being reinstated from the 7-day injured list.
Nikhazy was on the shelf for just over a month due to a left elbow impingement. The left-hander didn't require a rehab assignment prior to rejoining the Columbus rotation, though he was eased back into action Saturday with a light workload.
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Guardians' Doug Nikhazy: Out with elbow injury at Triple-A
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Triple-A Columbus placed Nikhazy on the 7-day injured list Wednesday due to a left elbow impingement.
It's not clear how long Nikhazy's elbow has been bothering him, but he's allowed 15 runs (14 earned) over 10.1 innings in his three starts with Columbus this month. The left-hander is without a clear timeline to return to action for the Triple-A club.
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Guardians' Doug Nikhazy: Sent back to Columbus
Rotowire
The Guardians optioned Nikhazy to Triple-A Columbus on Saturday.
Just two days after being promoted to Cleveland, Nikhazy will head back to Triple-A following his one-inning shutout performance Friday. His departure clears a spot on the active roster for Paul Sewald (shoulder) to return from the injured list.
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Guardians' Doug Nikhazy: Back in Cleveland
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The Guardians recalled Nikhazy from Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.
Nikhazy was lit up during his lone MLB outing this season, giving up six runs on five hits and six walks in just three innings against the Red Sox on April 26. Since then, he's posted a 4.56 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 49.1 frames at Columbus. The 25-year-old southpaw has worked exclusively as a starter this year, but with Joey Cantillo already slated to start Thursday in place of Luis L. Ortiz (personal), Nikhazy could be ticketed for a bullpen role. Kolby Allard was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
Nikhazy (0-1) took the loss in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Red Sox, coughing up six runs on five hits and six walks over three innings. He struck out three.
Making his MLB debut, Nikhazy managed to toss only 50 of his 90 pitches for strikes before getting a merciful hook. The 25-year-old southpaw was making a spot start due to the twin bill, and while he's had some early success at Triple-A Columbus (3.44 ERA, 22:7 K:BB in 18.1 innings) this year, Saturday's performance won't encourage Cleveland to rush him back to the majors the next time the team needs rotation depth.
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Guardians' Doug Nikhazy: Making MLB debut Saturday
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The Guardians plan to recall Nikhazy from Triple-A Columbus to have him start the second game of Saturday's doubleheader with the Red Sox, Joe Noga of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
After optioning reliever Zak Kent to Triple-A, Cleveland initially planed to call up Nikhazy on Friday to fill the open spot in its bullpen. However, after Friday's series opener was postponed, Nikhazy's call-up will instead be pushed back a day, and he'll now be in line to start in his MLB debut due to the doubleheader creating a stretch of six games in five days for the Guardians. The 25-year-old lefty had excelled through his first four starts with Columbus this season, logging a 3.44 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 22:7 K:BB in 18.1 innings. Cleveland doesn't appear to have a permanent opening in the rotation for Nikhazy, so he could shift to the bullpen or head back to Triple-A following his start Saturday.
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Guardians' Doug Nikhazy: Faring well at Triple-A
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Nikhazy has a 0.86 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 21 innings across four starts for Triple-A Columbus.
A second-round selection in 2021, Nikhazy has outperformed his scouting report this season. The 24-year-old lefty doesn't have an overpowering fastball (sits in the low-90s), but he has multiple above-average-to-plus secondary offerings, and his fastball has good movement. His walk rates at Double-A and Triple-A have been just north of 10 percent, which is a big improvement for him, as he had a 15.4 percent walk rate at Double-A last year. Nikhazy's 54.3 percent groundball rate at Triple-A is another mark in his favor. He could be an option to join the big-league rotation this summer.
