Franco Aleman pitches a career-high 7.0 shutout innings to earn the victory vs. Alabama at the SEC Tournament on May 27, 2021 in Hoover, Ala. at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. / Photo by Michael Wade.
Cleveland Guardians to Promote Aleman for MLB Debut
Friday, May 8, 2026 | Baseball
Former UF right-hander Franco Aleman will be the 90th Gator to play in the MLB when he debuts.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Cleveland Guardians are promoting former Florida right-handed pitcher Franco Aleman to the Major League roster for his big-league debut.
Called on to add depth to the Cleveland bullpen, Aleman will represent the 90th Gator to play in the MLB when he debuts. When that time comes, he will mark Florida's nation-leading 42nd former player to debut since 2008 as well as the 38th MLB Gator to compete under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan. Aleman is the first Gator to receive the call to The Show since left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco's debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 23, 2025.
Things have clicked for Aleman in his fifth professional season. Pitching at Triple-A Columbus, Aleman struck out 18 batters to four walks across 12.0 shutout innings of relief spread over 13 outings. The Tampa, Fla. native was utterly dominant before earning his promotion, logging a 0.58 WHIP and 13.5 strikeouts per nine while surrendering just three hits.
Drafted by Cleveland in the 10th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Aleman played one season with the Gators after beginning his career at FIU (2019) and St. Johns River State College (2020). In his lone 2021 campaign at Florida, he made 23 appearances including nine starts with a 5.74 ERA over 69.0 frames. Aleman struck out 65 batters against 21 free passes while holding hitters to a .274 batting average.
Aleman and the Guardians open a nine-game homestand in Cleveland on Friday night against the Minnesota Twins at 7:15 p.m. ET, which will be the former Gator's first chance to get a tase of big-league action.
Below is a complete list of Gators to debut in the MLB since 2008.
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Called on to add depth to the Cleveland bullpen, Aleman will represent the 90th Gator to play in the MLB when he debuts. When that time comes, he will mark Florida's nation-leading 42nd former player to debut since 2008 as well as the 38th MLB Gator to compete under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan. Aleman is the first Gator to receive the call to The Show since left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco's debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 23, 2025.
Things have clicked for Aleman in his fifth professional season. Pitching at Triple-A Columbus, Aleman struck out 18 batters to four walks across 12.0 shutout innings of relief spread over 13 outings. The Tampa, Fla. native was utterly dominant before earning his promotion, logging a 0.58 WHIP and 13.5 strikeouts per nine while surrendering just three hits.
Cleveland #Guardians 25yr old RHP relief prospect Franco Aleman picked up the save tonight for Columbus at Iowa.
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) May 6, 2026
Line - 1.0(IP) 0H 0R 0ER 0BB 1SO
(9 Pitches 9 Strikes)
Aleman topped out at 97.1 mph.
2026:
- 12.0(IP) 3H 0ER 4BB 18SO 0.00 ERA#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/GYM2hGNX3R
Drafted by Cleveland in the 10th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Aleman played one season with the Gators after beginning his career at FIU (2019) and St. Johns River State College (2020). In his lone 2021 campaign at Florida, he made 23 appearances including nine starts with a 5.74 ERA over 69.0 frames. Aleman struck out 65 batters against 21 free passes while holding hitters to a .274 batting average.
Aleman and the Guardians open a nine-game homestand in Cleveland on Friday night against the Minnesota Twins at 7:15 p.m. ET, which will be the former Gator's first chance to get a tase of big-league action.
Below is a complete list of Gators to debut in the MLB since 2008.
| Florida's Nation-Leading 42 MLB Debuts Since 2008 | ||||
| Player | Drafted (Round) | MLB Debut | Team | |
| 1 | Darren O'Day | Undrafted | March 31, 2008 | Los Angeles Angels |
| 2 | Matt LaPorta | 2007 (1st - 7th overall) | May 3, 2009 | Cleveland Indians |
| 3 | Bryan Augenstein | 2007 (7th) | May 13, 2009 | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| 4 | Ryan Sadowski | 2003 (12th) | June 28, 2009 | San Francisco Giants |
| 5 | Nick Maronde | 2011 (3rd) | September 2, 2012 | Los Angeles Angels |
| 6 | Paco Rodriguez | 2012 (2nd) | September 9, 2012 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 7 | Mike Zunino | 2012 (1st - 3rd overall) | June 12, 2013 | Seattle Mariners |
| 8 | Kevin Chapman | 2010 (4th) | August 9, 2013 | Houston Astros |
| 9 | Matt den Dekker | 2010 (5th) | August 29, 2013 | New York Mets |
| 10 | Anthony DeSclafani | 2011 (6th) | May 14, 2014 | Miami Marlins |
| 11 | Cole Figueroa | 2008 (6th) | May 16, 2014 | Tampa Bay Rays |
| 12 | Preston Tucker | 2012 (7th) | May 7, 2015 | Houston Astros |
| 13 | Brian Johnson | 2012 (1st - 31st overall) | July 21, 2015 | Boston Red Sox |
| 14 | Nolan Fontana | 2012 (2nd) | May 22, 2017 | Los Angeles Angels |
| 15 | Austin Maddox | 2012 (3rd) | June 17, 2017 | Boston Red Sox |
| 16 | Harrison Bader | 2015 (3rd) | July 25, 2017 | St. Louis Cardinals |
| 17 | Bobby Poyner | 2015 (14th) | March 31, 2018 | Boston Red Sox |
| 18 | Justin Shafer | 2014 (8th) | August 19, 2018 | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 19 | Eric Hanhold | 2015 (6th) | September 4, 2018 | New York Mets |
| 20 | Richie Martin | 2015 (1st - 20th overall) | March 28, 2019 | Baltimore Orioles |
| 21 | Pete Alonso | 2016 (2nd) | March 28, 2019 | New York Mets |
| 22 | Shaun Anderson | 2016 (3rd) | May 15, 2019 | San Francisco Giants |
| 23 | A.J. Puk | 2016 (1st - 6th overall) | August 21, 2019 | Oakland Athletics |
| 24 | Brady Singer | 2018 (1st - 18th overall) | July 25, 2020 | Kansas City Royals |
| 25 | Dane Dunning | 2016 (1st - 29th overall) | August 19, 2020 | Chicago White Sox |
| 26 | Jonathan India | 2018 (1st - 5th overall) | Thursday, April 1, 2021 | Cincinnati Reds |
| 27 | Jackson Kowar | 2018 (1st - 33rd overall) | Monday, June 7, 2021 | Kansas City Royals |
| 28 | Taylor Gushue | 2014 (4th) | Wednesday, June 30, 2021 | Chicago Cubs |
| 29 | Kirby Snead | 2016 (10th) | Wednesday, July 28, 2021 | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 30 | Mark Kolozsvary | 2017 (7th) | Wednesday, April 20, 2022 | Cincinnati Reds |
| 31 | Alex Faedo | 2017 (1st - 18th overall) | Wednesday, May 4, 2022 | Detroit Tigers |
| 32 | Danny Young | 2015 (8th) | Monday, May 9, 2022 | Seattle Mariners |
| 33 | Dalton Guthrie | 2017 (6th) | Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| 34 | Jacob Young | 2021 (7th) | Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023 | Washington Nationals |
| 35 | Wyatt Langford | 2023 (1st - 4th overall) | Thursday, Mar. 28, 2024 | Texas Rangers |
| 36 | Christian Scott | 2021 (5th) | Saturday, May. 4, 2024 | New York Mets |
| 37 | Hurston Waldrep | 2023 (1st - 24th overall) | Sunday, June 9, 2024 | Atlanta Braves |
| 38 | Jac Caglianone | 2024 (1st - 6th overall) | Tuesday, June 3, 2025 | Kansas City Royals |
| 39 | Brandon Sproat | 2023 (2nd) | Sunday, September 7, 2025 | New York Mets |
| 40 | Philip Abner | 2023 (6th) | Friday, September 19, 2025 | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| 41 | Hunter Barco | 2022 (2nd) | Tuesday, September 23, 2025 | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 42 | Franco Aleman | 2021 (10th) | TBD | Cleveland Guardians |
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