At one point earlier this season, it looked like the Cleveland Guardians’ pitching development team had done it again with Rule 5 Pick Peyton Pallette.
Cleveland added the 24-year-old over the offseason, and he immediately impressed the organization in Goodyear and had a solid run to begin the 2026 season, too.
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However, as of Sunday, President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti shared Pallette is headed back to the Chicago White Sox, ending Cleveland’s experiment with the right-handed pitcher.
The Guardians designated Pallette for assignment on May 24. Manager Stephen Vogt made it clear that the team really liked what they saw from the 24-year-old during his time with the team and that he earned his spot on the roster coming out of Spring Training.
However, Cleveland needed a fresh bullpen arm at the time, which forced the Guardians to open not only a bullpen spot but also a 40-man roster spot by DFAing Pallette.
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The complicated part of it was that Pallette was a Rule 5 Draft Pick from the offseason.
After he was designated for assignment, he was placed on waivers. After clearing waivers, the Guardians had to offer Pallette back to his original organization, the Chicago White Sox, which is how Cleveland got to where it is now.
Apr 6, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Peyton Pallette (41) waits for Kansas City Royals catcher Carter Jensen (22) to run the bases after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images
“In Peyton’s case, we were really excited about some of the outings we were able to see and the things he was able to do,” said Antonetti on Sunday.
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“But, ultimately, not having flexibility with that roster spot and us needing to bring other guys up to cover innings, it just put too much pressure on the bullpen, so we had to make the tough move to DFA him.”
When it was all said and done, Palette appeared in 16 games with the Guardians and logged a 5.23 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP.
He still has some very encouraging intangibles, such as fastball velocity, but he needs more time to develop into an everyday, big-league-caliber pitcher, and Antonetti believes that, too.
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“I continue to believe that Peyton will be a productive pitcher in the major leagues at some point, unfortunately, just, we couldn’t see it through as a rule 5 player this year.”
Unfortunately, that won’t come with the Guardians.
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