September is almost here, and the Guardians are staring at a decision that could shape the final stretch of their season: whether to bring up first baseman Ralphy Velazquez.
Cleveland enters the month at 68-66, sitting two games ahead of the Texas Rangers for the final AL Wild Card spot and 2.5 games back of the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central. With rosters set to expand to 28 players on September 1, the Guardians have room to add help - and offense is the obvious area to target.
That’s where Velazquez comes in. The 2023 first-round pick has been crushing Triple-A pitching as a 21-year-old, slashing .274/.353/.544 with 20 home runs and a 129 wRC+. He has also put together a blistering run with 16 homers in 21 games, a pace that stands out at any level.
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently included Velazquez in a look at 10 September call-ups most likely to influence postseason races, and he made the case that Cleveland should be aggressive.
“Considering the Guardians rank 28th in the majors with 18 home runs in 22 games this month, they should be rolling out the red carpet for Velazquez to fill whatever role best suits him. The 21-year-old fits best at first base, where he would be an immediate upgrade over deadline pickup Nathaniel Lowe, who has an 83 OPS+ in 17 games since joining the Guardians. One way or another, he’s one of the best nine bats in the organization right now,” Reuter wrote.
Lowe got off to a strong start with Cleveland, but his production has cooled since then. That leaves the Guardians weighing whether Velazquez’s power bat is the better answer right now, especially with the club struggling to put the ball in the seats.
There’s a catch, though. Bringing Velazquez up would require adding him to the 40-man roster, and that comes with a downside if a lockout hits next year. Players on 40-man rosters would not be able to play minor league games, which could affect Velazquez’s development if the 2027 season is delayed.
That’s the balancing act for Cleveland: help the major league club now, or preserve flexibility for one of its top young hitters later. With teams increasingly turning to prospects for a late-season spark, the Guardians may decide the risk is worth it and make the move sometime next month.
In Other News...
Guardians Prospect Saga Took A Shocking Turn Before He Ever Signed
A promising international signing turned into a stunning cautionary tale before the Cleveland Guardians ever got a player to put pen to paper. The club had agreed to a $2.8 million deal with a switch-hitting infielder known as David Severino, a name that carried the usual buzz of an upside prospect in a market where teams spend months building trust and projecting futures.
Instead, an MLB investigation found that Severino had used fake documents and even a fabricated gravesite to support a false identity and age, with his real name identified as Daury David Severino Damaso. MLB has suspended him for the fraud, while the Guardians will not be disciplined, and the whole episode has left his next contract expected to come in at a much lower figure than the one originally agreed to in Cleveland. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Playoff Push Suddenly Has A New X Factor
The Guardians came home from an undefeated road trip with a month left before the postseason, and the timing only sharpened the sense that this stretch could define their year. Steven Kwan and Chase DeLauter have helped drive a high on-base percentage in August, giving the lineup more traffic and more chances to turn tight games into wins. At the same time, Parker Messick has settled in as a reliable starter, providing stability in a rotation that needed it.
Clevelands biggest edge, though, may still be the pitching staff as a whole. The bullpen has been lights out since Aug. 10, posting a 1.52 ERA while leading in several key metrics, which gives the Guardians a different kind of late-season momentum than a club usually brings into September. If that relief group keeps missing bats and protecting leads, it could become the kind of weapon that changes the shape of the playoff race. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Lineup Suddenly Looks Like A Problem For Everyone
A week ago, the Guardians still looked like a team trying to patch together enough offense to keep pace in the American League. Since adding Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe, the lineup has taken on a different feel, and the results have followed with a seven-game winning streak that has changed the mood around the club. What stood out most was not just the added power, but the way the order has started to look more balanced from top to bottom.
Steven Kwan has been right in the middle of it, continuing to set the tone with a high batting average and on-base percentage, while Jose Ramirez and Angel Martinez have helped give Cleveland a more complete attack. It is the kind of stretch that forces opponents to pay attention beyond the usual threats, because the Guardians are no longer leaning on one or two bats to carry the night. The real question now is whether this version of the lineup is a hot streak or the start of something more durable. [Read more 🡒]