August 18, 2025 9:13 AM : McKenzie (illness) was transferred to Triple-A Columbus on Sunday and pitched in relief in the team's 7-5 loss to Toledo, working around two walks and one hit in a scoreless inning.
Analysis: In an effort to have McKenzie work through his control issues in a low-pressure environment, the Guardians assigned the right-hander to the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on May 14, a few weeks after he was outrighted off the 40-man roster. McKenzie had struggled to a 7.24 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in 13.2 innings over seven appearances in the ACL before exiting his most recent appearance June 28 due to an illness, but after addressing his mechanics behind the scenes over the past several weeks, he was cleared to join the Guardians' top affiliate. Though he came through with a scoreless frame Sunday in his return to game action, McKenzie's control problems lingered. He spotted just 15 of his 28 pitches for strikes and also threw a wild pitch.