Cleveland, OH – The Cleveland Guardians have announced several transactions ahead of today’s 40-man roster protection deadline:
- The contracts of RHP Franco Aleman, RHP Nic Enright, OF Petey Halpin, and LHP Doug Nikhazy have been selected from Triple-A Columbus, adding them to the major league 40-man roster. The roster now stands at 40 players.
- RHP Connor Gillispie, RHP Peter Strzelecki, and OF George Valera have been designated for assignment.
Franco Aleman: Aleman, 24, had a productive 2024 season, posting a 1.99 ERA (5 ER in 22.2 IP) across 24 relief appearances despite missing three months (May 9-August 15) with a right lat strain. After returning on August 16, Aleman did not allow a run in his final 11 regular-season outings (9.1 IP). He averaged 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings and allowed just one home run all season. Drafted in the 10th round (306th overall) in the 2021 MLB Draft, Aleman has a career ERA of 0.96 (5 ER in 46.2 IP) in Double-A and Triple-A since July 2023.
Nic Enright: Enright, 27, was very effective over 17.0 innings in 2024, with a 1.06 ERA (2 ER in 17.0 IP), a .155 opponent batting average, a 0.82 WHIP, and a 16.4 strikeouts per nine innings rate. He missed a significant portion of the season due to a right shoulder strain but did not allow a run in his first 13 outings. Originally drafted by Cleveland in the 20th round (610th overall) of the 2019 MLB Draft, Enright was selected by Miami in the 2022 Rule 5 Draft but returned to the Guardians in 2023 after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He closed out the 2023 season with a 5.45 ERA in 23 appearances at Triple-A Columbus.
Petey Halpin: Halpin, 22, has spent four seasons in the Guardians’ system, with a career batting average of .254 (358-for-1,411), 38 doubles, 21 home runs, and 83 RBIs across three levels. In 2024, he played at Double-A Akron, posting career highs in home runs (12) and RBIs (45) over 90 games. Halpin missed the final 21 games of the season due to a left wrist sprain and underwent surgery afterward. He was Cleveland’s third-round pick (95th overall) in the 2020 MLB Draft.
Doug Nikhazy: Nikhazy, 25, had an impressive 2024 season, recording the second-lowest opponent batting average (.192), the sixth-lowest ERA (2.98), and the seventh-most strikeouts (124) in the Player Development system across 29 appearances (27 starts) between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus. He started the season in Akron with a 3.17 ERA (17 ER in 48.1 IP) and continued his success after being promoted to Triple-A Columbus on June 24. Nikhazy was Cleveland’s second-round pick (58th overall) in the 2021 MLB Draft.
Following these transactions, the Guardians’ 40-man roster stands at 40 players.
