The Cleveland Guardians are down to the part of the season where every roster spot gets squeezed. With October baseball on deck for the third straight year, the club has to trim its 28-man active roster to 26 before the ALDS begins, and once that group is locked in, there’s no room to change course.
That makes the next few days a tense little puzzle for Cleveland. The team still has time, but the decision has to be made carefully because the postseason roster is final once it’s set.
As one post from Guardians Prospective put it: “Cleveland Guardians 28-man active roster will have to shrink by two players by next Saturday. What pitcher and what position player are you removing from the roster before they start the ALDS?
Are you adding anyone from the hot camp at Columbus?”
Cleveland #Guardians 28-man active roster will have to shrink by two players by next Saturday.
What pitcher and what position player are you removing from the roster before they start the ALDS?
Are you adding anyone from the hot camp at Columbus?
- Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) September 27, 2026
If the Guardians are looking for the clearest path, right-hander Craig Yoho stands out as the likeliest pitching cut. Cleveland brought him in at the trade deadline, but the results haven’t followed.
In 19 appearances, Yoho has posted a 6.87 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP, with a 23/10 K/BB ratio. He’s also given up five earned runs over his last three outings, which is hard to overlook with the postseason about to begin.
The position-player side is murkier, but Daniel Schneemann could be the odd man out. He’s appeared in 90 games and is hitting .205/.273/.318 with six home runs, 29 RBI, and six steals.
Lately, his role has been shrinking; he’s logged just four at-bats over the last five games. If he’s part of the October picture at all, it would likely be in a limited role as a defensive replacement or pinch runner.
For now, it’s all speculation and waiting. Guardians fans can spend the week making their own guesses, but the only thing that really matters is that Cleveland gets the right 26 players lined up for the ALDS.
In Other News...
Austin Hedges Had An Emotional Message Cleveland Fans Will Feel
Austin Hedges let the emotion show after Cleveland wrapped up its third straight AL Central title, and it fit a player who has spent six seasons giving this clubhouse more than just innings behind the plate. The veteran catcher has long been valued for his defense and presence around the team, and this year he has added a .249 average with six home runs while remaining part of the fabric of a group that keeps finding ways to win.
The Guardians now turn the page to October, with the American League Division Series set to begin Oct. 3 at Progressive Field. For a team that has built its identity on continuity and buy-in, Hedges' reaction felt like a reminder of how much this run means to the players who have lived through it, even as the next round brings a fresh challenge and a much bigger stage. [Read more 🡒]
Parker Messick Just Gave Guardians Fans Another Reason To Love Him
The Guardians wrapped up their third straight AL Central title with a win over the Royals and a White Sox loss, and rookie Parker Messick was right in the middle of the celebration with his teammates. It has been a breakout year for the left-hander, who has settled in as one of Clevelands most dependable starters since his debut in 2025 and has given the club steady innings throughout the stretch run.
Messicks season line tells part of the story, with a 12-9 record and a 2.55 ERA underscoring how important he has become to the rotation. He is expected to start the regular season finale and then take on a key role in the American League Division Series, giving Guardians fans one more reason to feel good about where this team stands heading into October. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Fans Just Got Another Painful Junior Caminero Reminder
The July 2021 trade that sent Javier Bez to the Mets keeps looking worse in hindsight for Cleveland, because Junior Caminero has turned into exactly the kind of player clubs hate to watch flourish elsewhere. What makes the reminder sting even more is that the discussion is happening in the same breath as Pete Crow-Armstrong, another young centerpiece who changed hands in a deal for Bez and has now forced his way into the MVP conversation for Chicago.
For Guardians fans, the broader point is hard to miss: the moves that were supposed to help in the moment have instead become case studies in what can be lost when a team chases short-term fixes. Cleveland is still sorting through the consequences of that decision, while the Cubs are living with the kind of long-term payoff every front office hopes to land. [Read more 🡒]