The Guardians have decided not to include second base prospect Travis Bazzana on their Opening Day roster. While the 23-year-old showed promise in camp, he’ll remain with the big league team for a few more days before heading back to the minors.
Bazzana, the top pick in the 2024 draft, seems destined to be the Guardians' future at second base. He split last season between Double-A and Triple-A, wrapping up with 26 games at the highest minor league level. Despite a high 26.7% strikeout rate in his 120 Triple-A plate appearances, he impressed with a 24.2% walk rate and four home runs, boasting a .225/.420/.438 slash line and a 138 wRC+.
Given the Guardians' struggles in the middle infield last season, there was a case for Bazzana being ready for the majors. However, his professional experience is still limited.
Drafted in 2024, he played just 84 games last year due to injuries. Including his 27 High-A games from his draft year, he has only 111 professional games under his belt.
Recently, Bazzana represented Australia in the World Baseball Classic, posting a .188/.235/.375 line in four games. In Cactus League action, he’s hit .286/.333/.500 in five games. It remains unclear if these performances influenced the Guardians' decision or if they had always planned to start him in the minors.
Traditionally, teams often kept top prospects in the minors early in the season to gain an extra year of control, a tactic known as service time manipulation. However, the current collective bargaining agreement introduced the Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI), encouraging teams to promote top prospects earlier.
Under PPI, a prospect can earn his team an extra draft pick if promoted early and meeting certain awards criteria. Additionally, prospects can receive a full year of service time retroactively if they finish in the top two for Rookie of the Year.
Bazzana, a consensus top prospect, could have been given the second base role out of camp, potentially earning the Guardians a draft pick. Instead, they’ve opted to start him in the minors.
Last season, Gabriel Arias and Brayan Rocchio handled most of the middle infield duties for Cleveland, both struggling offensively with matching wRC+ numbers of 77. Arias received praise for his defense at shortstop, while Rocchio’s defensive metrics were mixed.
As the 2026 season begins, Arias and Rocchio may again be the primary middle infielders, with utility players like Daniel Schneemann and Ángel Martínez in the mix. Juan Brito, on the 40-man roster, could also vie for playing time, though he hasn’t debuted in the majors yet. Limited by injuries to 31 minor league games last year, Brito might return to Triple-A for more experience, despite having over 170 games at that level.
Even if Bazzana doesn’t break camp, his PPI eligibility remains a possibility. With a 186-day season, a player needs 172 days in the majors for a full year of service time.
The Guardians could promote him within the first two weeks to keep PPI in play. If he excels in the minors or an opportunity arises, Bazzana might get an early call-up.
If not, his eventual promotion will be closely watched. In 2024, the Pirates delayed Paul Skenes’ promotion until May, yet he still earned a full year of service.
In 2025, they held Bubba Chandler back until late August, likely to avoid a similar scenario. The Guardians will have to navigate these considerations carefully with Bazzana.