The Guardians don’t have to make a move on Ralphy Velazquez anytime soon, and that’s the simple answer to the Rule 5 Draft question hanging over him.
Because Velazquez was Cleveland’s No. 1 pick out of high school in 2023, the club gets five years with him in the organization before needing to add him to the 40-man roster. That pushes the deadline to after the 2027 season. College draftees, by comparison, have four years before that decision comes due.
Velazquez has done plenty to keep himself in the conversation anyway. He’s batting .290, with 123 hits in 441 at-bats, plus 28 homers, 89 RBI and a .928 OPS between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus this season.
Jose Ramirez also came up in the mailbag, and the explanation there is less about reluctance and more about timing. Ramirez did challenge a few calls early this season, but those went against him. He still appears to be getting comfortable with the ABS system.
There was also the Hall of Fame debate surrounding Tommy John, and the argument remains the familiar one: counting numbers versus peak value. John was on the writers’ ballot for 15 years and never topped 31.7% of the vote, far short of the 75% required for election.
He has also appeared on the veterans’ ballot five times. The comparison Hoynsie drew was Bert Blyleven, who eventually made it to Cooperstown on his final year on the ballot.
His view is that longevity is part of the achievement, not a knock against it.
On the Triple-A front, Kyle Manzardo could still get another look before the season ends, though Nathaniel Lowe is giving the Guardians strong left-handed at-bats at first base right now.
Second base has become another point of discussion, especially with Angel Genao and Travis Bazzana there. Daniel Schneemann was recalled for a reason, but a steady diet of him at second base doesn’t sound likely for the stretch run.
Bazzana has had issues defensively at the position, yet his offense makes it hard to dismiss him, particularly after Friday night. Genao, meanwhile, hasn’t played badly.
That same Friday doubleheader against Detroit also fed the draft debate. Nick Kurtz, taken after Bazzana, has already won AL Rookie of the Year for the Athletics, while Bazzana has spent time working through the minors and dealing with injuries of his own.
Still, he showed why the Guardians believe in him with a game-tying home run and a walk-off single in the second game. For now, the answer is to let it unfold.
There was even a replay question from the opener of that doubleheader, when Cleveland challenged whether Tigers center fielder Max Clark had caught Nathaniel Lowe’s liner for the third out in the seventh inning. The answer from MLB’s New York replay center was that Clark did make the catch, grass stains or no grass stains.
A separate rules question touched on the infield alignment since the shift was removed in 2023. Before the pitcher releases the ball, only two infielders can be on either side of second base, and all four must start with their feet on the infield dirt.
They can set up close to second, but they cannot straddle it. Once the pitch is delivered, they can move freely.
If an infielder violates the rule and is the first to touch a batted ball, the batter goes to first, all runners advance one base, and the fielder is charged with an error.
Finally, Daniel Espino’s role remains pointed more toward the bullpen. He’s in his first full season back after missing nearly three years with injuries, and he has been used as a reliever at Triple-A Columbus and in Cleveland.
That looks like the likely path, though the Guardians are still keeping their options open. The priority is simple: keep him healthy and keep him pitching.
In Other News...
Former Guardians Outfielder Suddenly Back In The Middle Of Seattle's Push
Stuart Fairchild is back on a major league roster again, and this time the opportunity comes with a little more urgency for Seattle. After putting up strong numbers at Triple-A Tacoma, Fairchild was brought back by the Mariners to fill a roster spot opened when Victor Robles was placed on the family medical emergency list, giving the club another outfield option at a time when every healthy bat matters.
For Fairchild, the move adds another stop to a season that has already taken him through brief stints with both the Mariners and the Cleveland Guardians before he returned on a minor league deal with Seattle. His path has been anything but settled, but the Mariners clearly liked what they saw in Tacoma enough to pull him back into the middle of their push, even if the longer-term answer in the outfield remains to be determined. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Suddenly Have Another Chase DeLauter Health Concern
Chase DeLauters latest interruption came in the middle of a game, when the Guardians outfielder left after injuring his right wrist in his second at-bat. Stephen Vogt said DeLauter is expected to be day-to-day and is already getting treatment for soreness and stiffness, another reminder that Cleveland has had to keep recalibrating around one of its most intriguing young players.
The wrist issue arrives just after DeLauter sat out a series against the Los Angeles Angels because of hamstring tightness, extending a stretch in which availability has been the bigger question than production. For a player trying to build momentum, the timing is frustrating, and for the Guardians it adds another layer of uncertainty to a roster that could use some stability from him. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Keep Ignoring A First Base Answer Fans Want To See
Ralphy Velazquez has done enough in Triple-A to keep his name in the conversation, especially with the Guardians still looking for more offense at first base. The prospects production has made him an obvious candidate for a look in Cleveland, and general manager Mike Chernoff even acknowledged that Velazquez has earned a promotion based on performance.
For now, though, the path is blocked by roster fit rather than merit. Chernoff said there is not a role for Velazquez on the major league club at the moment, and he also pushed back on the idea that any looming labor concerns are driving the decision. So the question around first base remains the same one fans have been asking: if Velazquez keeps forcing the issue, when does Cleveland finally make room? [Read more 🡒]