PHOENIX — Cleveland Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie was scratched from his start against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night because of right elbow discomfort.
Right-hander Touki Toussaint started Friday night’s game after his contract was selected from Triple-A Columbus.
Cleveland also designated catcher Mike Zunino for assignment and optioned right-hander Cody Morris to Columbus.
McKenzie’s elbow issue is the latest injury setback for the right-hander, who missed the first two months with a shoulder strain. The Guardians have high hopes for the hard-throwing McKenzie, who went 11-11 with a 2.96 ERA in 30 starts last season.
With Cleveland potentially moving ace Shane Bieber before the trading deadline, McKenzie would move into the No. 1 spot in the rotation, assuming he’s healthy.
Zunino has been a disappointment for the Guardians, who signed the 32-year-old catcher to a $6 million free agent deal in December to improve a spot that gave them little offensive production last season.
Zunino hit 33 homers for Tampa Bay in 2021 but missed much of last year after being diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome in his left shoulder. Zunino batted just .177 in 42 games, striking out 61 times in 124 at-bats.
Backup Cam Gallagher hasn’t been much better, and the Guardians started rookie David Fry in Thursday’s series finale in San Diego. Fry hit his first major league homer and made several nice defensive plays.
The move with Zunino likely will clear the way for Cleveland to bring up catching prospect Bo Naylor, the younger brother of first baseman Josh Naylor.