The Cleveland Guardians named two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber as a special assistant to their pitching staff on Wednesday.
Kluber, who spent the majority of his 13-year playing career with Cleveland, officially retired in February 2024.
“I think I purposely didn’t really seek anything out last year,” Kluber said, per Cleveland.com. “That first year not playing I wanted to kind of see where I was at mentally, see what felt right.”
Kluber, 39, said he would be flexible with how he would help the pitching staff.
“A lot of it is figuring it out as we go,” he said. “There’s nothing set in stone, but I think it’s trying to really find the best ways for me to contribute.”
Kluber owned a 116-77 record with a 3.44 ERA in 271 career games (260 starts) with the Cleveland franchise (2011-19), Texas Rangers (2020), New York Yankees (2021), Tampa Bay Rays (2022) and Boston Red Sox (2023).
The three-time All-Star won two AL Cy Young awards with Cleveland in 2014 and 2017. He also tossed a no-hitter against the Rangers on May 19, 2021.
“It’s just a great fit. It’s a great presence for our young pitchers,” said pitching coach Carl Willis, who coached Kluber from 2018-19.
“They know what he accomplished in his career, particularly what he accomplished here. He’s not that far removed that he can still relate to the player and everything.”
