When Cody Anderson was chosen as the Cleveland Indians‘ fifth starter, more than a few fans and pundits were confused. He had a strong debut season last year, but nobody really thought he could snag Trevor Bauer‘s spot in the rotation.

Regardless, it was up to Anderson to prove everyone wrong and show he belonged in Cleveland’s vaunted group of starting pitchers.

He failed. Really, really badly.

Anderson was sent down this afternoon, making room for Mike Clevinger, one of the Indians’ top pitching prospects. Unfortunately, the struggles Anderson has been enduring this year didn’t appear to be ending anytime soon, and his being sent down was a long time coming.

One of the things Cleveland coaches loved about Anderson last season was his ability to keep the ball in the stadium. In the 91.1 innings he pitched in 2015, he gave up only nine home runs.

This season, we’re seeing the other end of the spectrum. It hasn’t been a matter of if opposing hitters go yard on Anderson, but when.

In 32.2 innings so far this year, he’s given up ten home runs. That’s a home run every 3.2 innings, which is an astoundingly bad rate. The 29 total earned runs he’s handed out this year is just two short of what he gave up last year, despite playing eight less games.

It wasn’t until last night that the Tribe actually won a game that Anderson pitched in. However, the team had to score 15 runs against the Cincinnati Reds to make up for the six he spotted them in just four innings of work.

So, yeah, it’s pretty clear Anderson had to go. It was clear the first time he was sent down this year back in April. Lucky for him, an injury to Carlos Carrasco gave him a second chance. However, he clearly couldn’t even remotely cash in.

Anderson takes his 7.99 ERA to Columbus to make way for Clevinger, a prospect many expected to see a couple times this season. He currently has a 5-0 record with Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate, posting a 3.03 ERA. His walks are high (17), but Anderson’s struggles didn’t give the Indians much of a choice.

Could Clevinger have been called up sooner? Maybe. It’s easy to understand both sides of the argument.

He’s still untested when it comes to the big leagues, and being called up too early can damage a prospect if he struggles in his first start. At the same time, it’s not hard for Cleveland to ask what the harm is in starting Clevinger compared to what the team’s been getting from Anderson.

What could make things interesting, though, is how Clevinger performs. If he excels in his first start, the team may want to give him another look while it eases Carrasco back from his sore hamstring. Anderson should already be stuck in the minors until he goes through a massive improvement. However, if Clevinger looks the part, do the Indians move Bauer back to the bullpen?

My guess is no. The rookie would have to be lights out in his debut tomorrow, and get at least one more chance to see if he can do it again. Because Clevinger has more options, I would expect him to get sent back down to make room for Carrasco once he’s healthy.

Still, Clevinger is only getting his chance now because of how much of a liability Anderson became. He needs to spend this time in the minors figuring out why opposing hitters are turning his starts into batting practice. There’s been little sign of progress with him this year, and the Indians had no choice but to find a way to get him off their roster.