Guardians' Cade Smith: May begin in MLB bullpen

Smith will begin the season in the Guardians' bullpen unless the team acquires another reliever in the next few days, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

At the moment, Smith's 2.25 ERA and 1.00 WHIP through eight spring innings has earned him a spot in Cleveland's bullpen, though it's unclear how aggressive the Guardians will be in pursuing another reliever to replace the 24-year-old righty. Smith spent most of last season in Triple-A Columbus, where he turned in a 4.65 ERA and 1.39 WHIP across 40.2 frames. If he does remain on Cleveland's Opening Day roster, he likely will be limited to low-leverage situations to begin his MLB career.