The Cleveland Guardians’ lineup has been in constant motion lately, but not every change has been a good one. Some of the moves have brought needed help, like adding Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe and swapping Gabriel Arias for Angel Genao. Others have come because the injuries keep piling up.
That reality hit again on Wednesday, when the Guardians put Rhys Hoskins on the injured list with a back injury and brought up David Fry.
Manager Stephen Vogt said Hoskins’ back flared up on Tuesday, which triggered an MRI and, ultimately, the injured list move. Hoskins hasn’t delivered the season many expected, hitting .179/.306/.376 with 13 home runs, but he still matters in the clubhouse. For now, Fry will take his roster spot after a strong run in the minors, even though he’s also had a rough season at the big-league level.
Hoskins’ absence also shifted the first-base picture. Nathaniel Lowe got a rare start against a left-handed starter on Wednesday, though nearly all of his at-bats came against right-handers. For the moment, Lowe and Fry appear to be the Guardians’ first-base tandem.
The outfield situation is just as messy. Cleveland has spent much of the week without Jo Adell and Chase DeLauter, both dealing with lower-body injuries.
Adell played Tuesday and posted a career-high six RBI, but after fouling a ball off his knee, he was out for the Guardians’ loss on Wednesday. He then returned with a pinch-hit appearance in the sixth inning of Thursday’s game and looks on track to be back in the starting lineup later today against the Rockies.
Before that game, Adell told MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins that he was doing much better, and his return backed that up.
DeLauter, meanwhile, hasn’t played since Sunday because of a knee injury and hasn’t even been available off the bench. Vogt told Stebbins that DeLauter was tracking toward a return, but the absence still underscored how often injuries interrupted his minor league career. His injury limited the Guardians in Wednesday’s loss, though it appears they avoided anything more serious.
If Cleveland needs another outfielder, Daniel Schneemann, Kahlil Watson and Cooper Ingle are the top names in line for a call-up.
In Other News...
Guardians Power Problem Keeps One Old Trade Looking Even Worse
Power has been one of the biggest question marks around Cleveland for a while, so it is hard not to look back at the November 2021 deal that sent Junior Caminero to Tampa Bay in exchange for Tobias Myers. At the time, it was the sort of prospect-for-pitching swap front offices make all the time, but the gap between the two players has only grown since then.
Caminero has since emerged as one of the American Leagues most dangerous power bats, breaking through as a full-time major league regular in 2024 and giving the Rays the kind of middle-of-the-order threat the Guardians can only wish they had more often. Myers, meanwhile, never found much traction in Cleveland and is now in Triple-A with the Mets, which leaves this trade looking like another painful reminder of how much value can disappear when a young slugger gets dealt before the breakout arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Face A Tough Center Field Decision Fans Can See Coming
The Guardians are staring at one of those decisions that can shape a roster for years, and it is already easy to see why center field is becoming such a focal point. Steven Kwan remains the most established name in the mix, while the organization also has a cluster of younger possibilities in Petey Halpin, Kahlil Watson, Aaron Walton and Jaison Chourio, each bringing a different blend of defense, offense and long-term appeal. For a club that has built so much around finding value before it gets expensive, this is exactly the kind of position where the front office has to balance certainty against upside.
Kwans case is the cleanest in the short term because he has already shown he can handle the job, but the larger question is how far Cleveland wants to go in trying to make him part of the future beyond that. The prospects behind him add intrigue, though none arrives with the same level of certainty, which leaves the Guardians weighing development timelines against the contract realities that usually drive these calls. Center field rarely stays quiet for long, and this is one of those situations where the answer may not be obvious until the club is forced to choose. [Read more 🡒]
Former Guardians Outfielder Just Got Another Shot To Finally Break Through
Johnathan Rodrguez is getting another chance to push his way back into the picture, this time with the Athletics, who claimed the outfielder off waivers from the Pirates and sent him to Triple-A Las Vegas. For a player who has already been designated for assignment by both the Guardians and Orioles this year, the move keeps him in the game and in front of a club that suddenly has room to look for help.
Oaklands outfield injuries could make this a more meaningful landing spot than a typical waiver stop. Rodrguez still has to do the work in Las Vegas, but the path is a little clearer now, and the next stretch could determine whether this becomes just another transaction on his resume or the opening he has been waiting for. [Read more 🡒]