Steven Kwan’s season has been a frustrating one for the Guardians, but Cleveland isn’t ready to give up on the idea that he can look more like himself after the break.
The numbers tell the story of how far things have slipped. Kwan is hitting .218/.325/.275 on the year, with a career-low .243 BABIP and an average exit velocity of 83.1 mph. That’s a steep fall for a player who has long been one of the most reliable leadoff bats in the game, and it’s part of why he has dropped as far as ninth in the Guardians’ lineup.
“It’s been a tough start to the year for him,” said Chris Antonetti over the weekend.
Antonetti pointed to the standard Kwan has set in the past and how difficult it’s been to match it this season.
“I think we all have grown accustomed to seeing Steven be so consistent offensively and the way he's able to manage his own, put the ball in play consistently at productive angles to get on base and contribute offensively. That's just been tougher for him to do for the bulk of this year.
Even with the rough overall line, Cleveland is still “hopeful and encouraged” that Kwan can get back to the version of himself the team saw in the second half of the 2026 season.
The organization has also seen signs that the bat is starting to wake up. Antonetti said, “I've been really encouraged by the last week or so, that's where he started to get back to some of the things that had made Steven successful in time,” he said.
Since June 24, Kwan has put together a .297/.366/.405 slash line with a 120 wRC+. That run included an eight-game hitting streak, which ended against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday evening.
There’s more to like under the hood, too. Kwan has gone back to letting the ball travel and using the left side of the field, with 46 percent of his hits over the last few weeks going the opposite way. That’s a noticeable jump from 32 and 30 percent in the last two seasons, when he was named an All-Star.
That approach has helped push his BABIP up to .324 during this stretch.
Still, the Guardians can’t ignore the full picture. Kwan’s exit velocity remains down even during the improved run, and the 28-year-old also has a concerning pattern of his numbers dipping after the All-Star Break.
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