Guardians DFA Mike Zunino, RHP Triston McKenzie scratched

The Cleveland Guardians designated catcher Mike Zunino for assignment prior to Friday night's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Guardians also scratched right-hander Triston McKenzie from his scheduled start due to a sore pitching elbow.

Right-hander Touki Toussaint was promoted from Triple-A Columbus to make the start.

Zunino, 32, joined the Guardians in the offseason but struggled mightily. He batted .177 with three homers and 11 RBIs in 42 games.

The 11-year-veteran has always been known as a better defender than hitter, but even that part of his game dropped in Cleveland. Zunino threw out just 8 of 48 runners (16.7 percent) attempting to steal and leads the majors with five passed balls. He also made three errors.

Zunino has a .199 career batting average with 149 homers and 372 RBIs in 892 games with the Seattle Mariners (2013-18), Tampa Bay Rays (2019-22) and Guardians. He was an All-Star for the Rays in 2021 when he belted a career-high 33 homers.

McKenzie, 25, is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in two starts this season. He missed the first two months of the season due to an injury to his pitching shoulder.

Toussaint, 26, is 2-1 with a 4.54 ERA in 20 appearances (one start) at Columbus. He is 10-7 with a 5.34 ERA in 57 major league appearances (23 starts) for the Atlanta Braves (2018-21) and Los Angeles Angels (2022).