Guardians notes: In need of a fresh arm in the bullpen, Cleveland recalls Zak Kent, options Nic Enright back to the minors

CLEVELAND — Elite setup man Cade Smith is dealing with back spasms and the Guardians needed a fresh arm in the bullpen for the series finale against Toronto on Thursday afternoon. Right-hander Nic Enright was the casualty. Enright, who beat cancer to make his major league debut with Cleveland on May 25 and notched the first win of his career Wednesday night, was optioned back to Triple-A Columbus. The Guardians recalled right-hander Zak Kent from Columbus to fill Enright's roster spot. "We just needed pitching overall. We needed innings today," manager Stephen Vogt said. "It's unfortunate with Nic, obviously. He gets his first major league victory and we had to send him down. "We talked to him this morning. Like we told him, 'Nic, you've proved that you can pitch at the highest leverage in the major leagues. You're a big league pitcher, but right now you have to go back to Triple-A, but stay ready.'" Enright has pitched well during two stints in Cleveland, posting a 2.08 ERA with 11 strikeouts over 13 innings in 11 appearances. "What he's gone through in his personal life, this is just a game," Vogt said. "The moment's not going to be too big for him. He's had battles that very few of us have had. It's a great story. He's a great human being. He's gonna be back soon." Kent is in his second tour with Cleveland after allowing three runs on seven hits in three games (April 23-May 14) and striking out six over five innings. Vogt said Smith began feeling the spasms prior to Wednesday's game, but the manager didn't think it would be an issue moving forward. "Cade's feeling better today," he said. "We'll be going day by day how he's feeling, but he's feeling better today." Rehab warriors Right-hander Shane Bieber (right elbow surgery) is scheduled to throw another bullpen session today at Progressive Field. "We'll determine what's next after that, but he feels great coming out of his bullpen (Tuesday)," Vogt said. ** Relievers Paul Sewald (right shoulder strain) and Trevor Stephan (right elbow surgery) are scheduled to make appearances for Double-A Akron on Friday. Keeping the faith Despite his team ranking toward the bottom of the majors in nearly every category, Vogt believes in the Guardians' offense. "When you look at this group as a whole, when we click, we put together good games … when we're stringing things together," Vogt said. "(Steven) Kwan and Hosey (Ramirez) have been consistent all year, and Carlos (Santana) has had spurts where he's been consistent. Manzo (Kyle Manzardo) is getting better, Jonsey (Nolan Jones) is getting better, Lane (Thomas) is getting better, David's (Fry) getting better, Bo's (Naylor) getting better, Schnee's (Daniel Schneeman) been great for us. "This is a really good offense. We just haven't all been clicking at the same time, but I think we're trending towards that. We're seeing more and more guys putting together quality at-bats any given night. The recipe is here. We just have to find the right way for it to click." With the July 31 trade deadline looming, Vogt was asked if his team needed outside assistance. "We don't know yet. We have to wait to let the next four and a half weeks play out before we can really know," he said. "Obviously, that's up to (team president) Chris (Antonetti), (general manager) Mike (Chernoff) and (assistant GM) Matt (Forman). I trust those guys to give us the best players possible. I know that if we can play well and put ourselves in a position, we're gonna look for opportunities. "But I think we have the ingredients right here, right now, that can win it. We just have to continue to work to get more consistent." Money man Gabriel Arias entered Thursday batting only .233, but hitting .347 (17-for-49) with runners in scoring position. "I tend to believe that hitters work better with a task," Vogt said. "When you have an objective in your at-bat that's clear … I think a lot of people struggle with nobody on and no task. When he goes up with a mindset to do one specific task, it definitely helps him have a more quality at-bat." Yes way, Jose Vogt had the perfect guy at the plate in the 10th inning Wednesday — Ramirez — with the bases loaded and nobody out. Ramirez delivered a walk-off single in a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays. "I love that Hosey plays for this team. I don't hide from it. It's my favorite things about this job is watching him play," Vogt said. "He knows what he needs to do in that moment. He's not going to get too big. He's not gonna do too much. He's just gonna take what he gets and get the job done." Next up The Guardians wrap up the homestand with a three-game interleague series against the Cardinals that begins Friday at 7:10. RHP Luis Ortiz (4-8, 4.30 ERA) opens the set for Cleveland, opposing RHP Sonny Gray (7-2, 3.72), while RHP Slade Cecconi (3-3, 3.38) goes for the Guardians on Saturday (4:10 p.m.) against RHP Miles Mikolas (4-5, 4.31). LHP Logan Allen (5-5, 4.25) starts for Cleveland in the series finale Sunday (1:10 p.m.), while St. Louis counters with LHP Matthew Liberatore (5-6, 3.96). Roundin' third The Guardians entered Thursday ranked second in the majors behind Detroit (20-11, .645 winning percentage) with a 23-13 (.639) record in games decided by two runs or fewer. ** Friday, 7:10, Apple TV+; WOBL 1320-AM and 107.7-FM, WTAM 1100-AM. Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @CAwesomeheimer on X.