Former Guardians coach Craig Albernaz seems to have a knack for acquiring former Guardians outfielders. This weekend, the Guardians traded DFA’d outfielder Johnathan Rodríguez to the Baltimore Orioles, now managed by Albernaz, in exchange for minor league pitcher Carter Rustad.
This isn't the first time Albernaz has picked up a Guardians outfielder. Just three months ago, the Orioles claimed Jhonkensy Noel, although he was later DFA’d.
Rodríguez landing with the Orioles isn't entirely unexpected given his connection to Albernaz. However, it's notable that the Guardians managed to get something in return for him, considering his struggles in the majors.
Over 44 games with the Guardians during the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Rodríguez posted a slash line of .176/.282/.304, with just two home runs and 15 RBIs. While he’s excelled against Triple-A pitching, big league pitching has been a different story.
His major league challenges have largely stemmed from difficulty hitting spin, evidenced by a 51.5% whiff rate against offspeed pitches and 37.8% against breaking balls last season. Despite being one of the Guardians' few right-handed hitters, Rodríguez was designated for assignment to make room for Rhys Hoskins.
Now assigned to Triple-A Norfolk, Rodríguez faces a tough path to the Orioles' roster, which already features five outfielders and has Heston Kjerstad on the injured list. Yet, with the Orioles' history of dealing with injuries-they had 34 position players step up last season-Rodríguez might find an opportunity if the injury bug bites again.
He’s likely ahead of Noel in the pecking order, as Noel remains hitless in his first eight at-bats this season with four strikeouts.
On the flip side, the Guardians' acquisition of Carter Rustad is intriguing. A 15th-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Rustad showed promise with a 3.23 ERA and 56 strikeouts over 53 innings across three minor league levels last year, finishing strong at Double-A. Although he's turning 25 soon, making him older than many minor leaguers, Rustad offers solid depth for the Guardians to develop further.