Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber returns from his DL stint on Thursday with a 5.06 ERA in four starts this season.

Kluber logged a career-high 249⅓ innings pitched last season, including 34⅓ IP in postseason.

It is not unusual for pitchers with heavy postseason workloads to have issues the next season, whether with health, ineffectiveness, or both. And Kluber fans should be aware that though there are examples of pitchers getting through postseason-filled workloads and succeeding at least in the short-term (CC Sabathia, Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner among them), it's not easy to do so.

Examples of pitchers with struggles include:

Matt Harvey, 2015 Mets

Harvey threw 216 innings (including postseason) in 2015 in helping the Mets reach the World Series, only to lose to the Royals. That was the most innings pitched by someone in their next season following Tommy John surgery. In 2016, Harvey was ineffective throughout, going 4-10 with a 4.86 ERA in 17 starts. He had thoracic outlet surgery and returned in time for the start of 2017, but has been inconsistent, with a 4.95 ERA in 10 starts.

Matt Cain, 2012 Giants

Cain had two memorable postseason runs with the Giants (2010 and 2012), surviving both without injury. But after the second, his performance declined, perhaps due to the 249⅓ innings he pitched, including the 2012 postseason. His ERA went from 2.79 to 4.00. He hasn’t finished a season with an ERA below 4.00 since and he has had multiple injury issues.

Cole Hamels, 2008 Phillies

Hamels carried the Phillies to a World Series victory, winning National League Championship and World Series MVP honors. He logged 262⅓ innings to do so, and the next season, his ERA jumped from 3.09 to 4.32, though he did make every start. He was not the same pitcher in the 2009 postseason as 2008, allowing 16 earned runs in 19 innings.

Hamels is a good example of a pitcher who was able to return to form, though he was only 25 at the time of the 2009 season. Over the next three seasons, he made 95 starts and pitched to a 2.97 ERA.

Josh Beckett, 2007 Red Sox

Beckett pitched a career-high 230⅔ innings and won ALCS MVP honors in helping the Red Sox win the World Series. At age 28 and with two World Series titles, Beckett was heading into the prime of his career.

But he faltered over the next three seasons pitching to a 4.39 ERA, averaging 27 starts per season. He had back and elbow issues in 2008 and another back issue in 2010.

Beckett had brief bounce backs, including a 2.89 ERA in 2011 prior to the "chicken and beer" issues that doomed that team. In 2013, he had thoracic outlet surgery. In 2014, bothered by a hip injury, he retired after the postseason.

Chris Carpenter, 2006 and 2011 Cardinals

This happened to Carpenter not once but twice. In 2006, he was a top pitcher on a Cardinals team that beat the Tigers in the World Series, throwing 254⅓ innings, his second straight season of at least 250 innings pitched.

The next season, he made one start and missed the rest of the season. He missed most of 2008 as well, pitching in only four games. He returned to ace status in 2008 and by 2011, he was 36, but made 34 regular-season starts and six more in postseason (pitching a 1-0 shutout in Game 5 of the LDS). This time his workload was 273⅓ innings.

In 2012, he was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, had surgery, and didn’t pitch until Sept. 21. He pitched twice in the regular season and twice in the postseason, marking the end of his career.

Mark Buehrle, 2005 White Sox

Buehrle led the AL in innings in 2004 and 2005, but pitched an extra 23⅓ innings in 2005, helping the White Sox on their World Series run. In 2006, Buehrle admitted that a back problem bothered him during the course of the season, but insisted that pain never affected him on the mound. He made 32 starts but had a career-worst 4.99 ERA.

Curt Schilling, 2004 Red Sox

Schilling finished second in AL Cy Young voting in 2004 with a 21-8 record and 3.26 ERA in 226⅔ innings. He went 3-1 in 22⅔ more innings in an epic postseason that included the most memorable sock in baseball history. In 2005, Schilling started the season on the disabled list with pain in his right ankle. He was back on the DL from April to July with a bone bruise on that same ankle -- but a little higher on the leg than where he had surgery. He finished the season 8-8 with a 5.69 ERA.