The Guardians may have room to add two players on Sept. 1, but don’t count on Ralphy Velazquez being one of them.
That would make for a neat late-season storyline. Velazquez, after all, has been tearing up International League pitching at Triple-A Columbus. But the more likely outcome is that Cleveland leaves the 21-year-old first baseman where he is and keeps him there through the end of the season.
The production is real. Across Double-A Akron and Columbus, Velazquez is batting .288 with 20 doubles, 24 homers, 74 RBI and a .916 OPS in 103 games. Since joining Columbus, he’s hit .272 with 11 doubles, 17 homers, 44 RBI and a .879 OPS.
“Ralphy can’t make an out,” said David Fry, recently promoted by the Guardians. “I don’t remember seeing him a bunch in spring training, but watching him every day in games, he can just hit. It doesn’t matter what the pitch is or if it’s a righty or lefty, he just hits.
“They were telling me he’s only 21. That’s kind of crazy.”
Velazquez’s path has already included a few position changes. The Guardians drafted him as a catcher with their No. 1 pick in 2023, but repeated injuries pushed the club to move him to first base to protect his swing. He’s also been tested in the outfield.
Even with Rhys Hoskins on the injured list since Wednesday, Cleveland’s first-base and DH mix is crowded. Nathaniel Lowe, acquired in an Aug. 3 trade with Cincinnati, has taken most of the first-base work.
He bats left-handed, just like Velazquez. Fry, a right-handed hitter, should also see time there against lefties.
At DH, the Guardians have mostly used Chase DeLauter, Jo Adell and Jose Ramirez, all of whom are playing through injuries but still available. Kyle Manzardo, another left-handed bat who can play first base or DH, is back at Columbus after his Aug. 3 demotion and is hitting .250 with four homers and 11 RBI in 12 games.
That logjam matters. If Cleveland truly wanted Velazquez in the majors right now, it likely wouldn’t have brought in Lowe, who has hit .267 with two homers and nine RBI since the trade.
There’s another layer, too. Bringing Velazquez up for the stretch run would require putting him on the 40-man roster, which could cost him a chance to play in the minors next year if the expected lockout after the current CBA expires in December stretches into next season. The Guardians are not eager to leave one of their top prospects stuck at home when he could be getting at-bats.
The temptation is obvious. Offense has been Cleveland’s issue all year, and Velazquez’s bat would fit the need. But the lineup has at least started to show some life in August, even with three shutouts in the last eight games.
In Friday’s 9-1 win over the Rockies, the Guardians piled up 14 hits. It was the 10th time this month they’ve reached double figures in hits.
The one area that still keeps them from fully cashing in is runners in scoring position. Cleveland ranks 27th in the majors with a .228 average in those spots.
The deadline additions have helped. Lowe has brought a steady veteran presence to the middle of the order, and Adell has driven in 12 runs in 15 games since arriving in Cleveland, including one game with six RBI.
Rookie Angel Genao has chipped in as well. Since being recalled from Columbus on Aug. 5, he’s hitting .320 with one homer and three RBI in 14 games. On Friday night, he made his second start at shortstop and delivered two standout plays.
“The offense has been trending (upward),” said manager Stephen Vogt after Friday’s win. “The runners in scoring position have been a tough thing for us this year, but we just have to keep getting traffic on the bases and putting pressure on the other team. If we do that, we’re going to come through.”
Even with the recent uptick, the standings remain a grind. The Guardians are tied for second in the AL Central at 63-66, 4 1/2 games behind first-place Chicago. In the wild-card race, they’re tied with the Twins and one game behind Texas for the final playoff spot.
Friday’s win was worth celebrating, but it also came with a reminder of how shaky this offense has been. Since the All-Star break, it was only the second time the Guardians have won back-to-back games.
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