The Guardians’ bats broke out Monday night against the Twins, but the bigger development for Cleveland might be what comes next.
José Ramírez is close to returning, and that’s about to turn Stephen Vogt’s lineup into a real juggling act. Ramírez has been out after hand surgery, but at the five-week point in his recovery he has been working out and does not appear headed for a rehab assignment before rejoining the roster. In other words, his return could be announced at almost any time.
That matters because Cleveland already has more good options than it can comfortably fit into the top of the order. Steven Kwan is hitting over .430 in July.
Angel Martínez is nearing a return. Chase DeLauder has quietly become a legitimate middle-of-the-order threat.
Brayan Rocchio is swinging the bat well. And then there’s Ramírez, the kind of hitter who changes everything just by stepping back into the lineup.
On the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, Paul Hoynes put the impact in plain terms: “...just his presence is going to make that lineup better and deeper and longer. You put him back one in the number two spot where he was hitting, I mean, then you’ve got, who knows...”
The real question is how Vogt arranges the pieces around him. Kwan has been one of the quieter second-half stories for Cleveland, driving the ball to left and left-center again instead of settling for the soft fly balls that had been showing up earlier in the year. He’s been so good at the top that moving him down would feel like a tough call.
Joe Noga floated one possible answer: “Yeah, I wonder if the return of Ramírez sort of forces Bazana back up into that leadoff spot because then you can go Bazana, Ramirez, De Lauder and then maybe, yeah, Rocchio...”
That setup would give Cleveland a different kind of look. Bazzana has three hits Monday and continues to make hard contact.
Ramírez would slide into the two-hole. DeLauder could hit third.
Rocchio adds switch-hitting flexibility. Kwan, meanwhile, could stay near the top or be moved lower and potentially get an extra trip to the plate.
There’s also the handedness angle. Hoynes noted Vogt’s willingness to stack left-handed hitters and switch hitters against right-handed pitching, and Monday night’s order reflected that approach. Against a righty like Joe Ryan, the first four Guardians hitters were all left-handed or batting from the left side.
With the AL Central still a three-team race and the clubs separated by just a few games, the timing of Ramírez’s return carries real weight. Cleveland’s trade deadline thinking, its confidence level, and its ceiling as a contender all depend on how this group looks when it’s whole.
Monday’s seven-homer eruption was impressive. A lineup with Ramírez, Kwan, Bazzana and DeLauder all in the mix would be something else entirely.
In Other News...
Former Guardians Ace Carlos Carrasco Enters A Surprising New Career Chapter
Carlos Carrascos next stop comes after a strange stretch with the Braves, where the veteran right-hander kept bouncing between the major league roster and minor league deals while trying to stick. He logged 16 2/3 innings in Atlanta this season and also pitched well at Triple-A Gwinnett, but the constant churn left him looking for a cleaner path forward than the one he had been navigating for months.
For Cleveland fans, Carrascos latest move is another reminder of how long his career has lasted and how many turns it has taken since his peak years in the majors. He now lands in a spot where roster rules matter as much as reputation, and his new club is making room for him after moving on from Yacksel Ros. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Fans Wont Like Whats Next For Khalil Watson
Khalil Watsons latest stint with Cleveland had the look of a player trying to force a longer stay, especially after a strong recent game gave the Guardians another reminder of what he can bring. Even so, the roster math has been working against him, and the club had to clear space for players coming off the injured list while navigating the limits that come with his option status.
For the Guardians, it is the kind of transaction that can feel more procedural than personal, even when a young player has done enough to make the decision uncomfortable. Watson has still shown enough in this stretch to matter to the organization, and the timing suggests this is more of a pause than a goodbye, with a bigger opportunity likely to come when rosters expand later in the season. [Read more 🡒]
Jos Ramrez Is Back But Cleveland's Lineup Questions Aren't Gone
Jos Ramrez is back in the Guardians lineup picture after being activated from the injured list before Wednesdays game, a welcome development for a club that has spent much of the summer trying to patch together its everyday order. Ramrez had been out since June 13 with a hamate bone fracture, and his return comes without a rehab assignment, a reminder of how quickly Cleveland needs its best bat back in the middle of things.
The broader roster puzzle, though, is still very much in motion. Angel Martnez is moving along on a rehab assignment as he works back from a foot fracture, giving Cleveland another potential option to monitor in the coming days as the lineup keeps shifting around injuries and availability. For now, the Guardians at least get Ramrez back, but the ripple effects of getting everyone healthy again are still only beginning to sort themselves out. [Read more 🡒]