Travis Bazzana’s rookie year has already shown both sides of the coin for the Cleveland Guardians, and right now the league is making him work for everything.
Bazzana burst out of the gate in May, when he posted an .874 OPS and piled up 11 extra-base hits. For a stretch, he looked exactly like the No. 1 overall pick Cleveland selected in the 2024 MLB draft.
But since June 1, the numbers have cooled in a hurry. He’s hit .207/.304/.335 with a wRC+ of 84, and his strikeout rate has climbed to almost 25 percent.
That downturn hasn’t erased the flashes. Bazzana still has games like his two-homer performance against the Houston Astros. But the overall picture has been more uneven lately, and manager Stephen Vogt didn’t sugarcoat it.
“it's been a tough go” for Bazzana over the last few weeks.
“The longer you're in the league, the the more the book gets gets out on you,” Cleveland's skipper said.
“ This is the ebbs and flows of a rookie year... he's going through it a little bit right now, but we have not lost that faith and that belief that he's going to be one of the best hitters in this league for a long time.”
The rough patch is also part of the grind that comes with a full first professional season. Bazzana has already played 106 games this year between Triple-A and MLB, by far the most he has logged.
For now, the Guardians want the rookie to simplify things and trust his game. Vogt’s message was straightforward: “relax, get back to being who you are, and take what the pitcher gives you.”
In Other News...
Guardians Lineup Suddenly Has A New Problem Fans Cant Ignore
The Guardians have had to keep shuffling their lineup around injuries, and the latest turn only adds to the uncertainty. Rhys Hoskins was moved to the injured list because of lower back inflammation, opening a spot that Cleveland filled by bringing David Fry back up from Triple-A Columbus. It is another reminder of how quickly the depth chart can change for a club trying to keep its offense moving while managing bodies all over the roster.
Frys return at least gives Cleveland a versatile option, and he has been swinging the bat well in Columbus, which makes him a useful piece to plug into a lineup that needs stability. Chase DeLauter and Jo Adell are still active, but both are dealing with injuries of their own, with DeLauter working through mild left hamstring tightness and Adell handling a left knee contusion. For the Guardians, the bigger concern now is how long this injury pileup can keep forcing them to mix and match before it starts affecting the lineup in a more serious way. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Get A Timely Health Boost In Wild Card Push
The Guardians got a welcome bit of injury news as they head into their series against the Giants, with three players all moving in the right direction at a time when every healthy arm and bat matters. Rookie outfielder Chase DeLauter is feeling better after an MRI turned up no alarming issues, leaving him day-to-day, while the club also has encouraging signs from the pitching side with reliever Colin Holderman and starter Slade Cecconi both taking steps forward.
Holderman has resumed playing catch and is preparing to pitch, an important checkpoint for a bullpen that can use as much depth as it can get. Cecconi, meanwhile, has gotten through bullpen sessions and is expected to start a rehab assignment soon, a development that gives Cleveland another possible reinforcement to track as the wild card chase tightens and the calendar keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]
Bo Naylor Is Raising A Tough Question Cleveland Never Answered
Bo Naylors first weeks in the Brewers organization have offered a fresh look at the same bat Cleveland spent years trying to sort out. Since the trade, he has played exclusively at Triple-A Nashville, and the early returns suggest something is clicking in a different way. The changes show up in the contact profile as much as the results, with a more favorable shape to his production and a version of his offense that looks cleaner than it did before the move.
For Cleveland, the harder question is the one that always hovered around Naylor: whether the offensive gains can translate when the level changes. Milwaukee can still treat him as a catching option down the road, but the organization is really gathering evidence on whether this is a real adjustment or just a hot stretch against Triple-A pitching. The Guardians never got a definitive answer on that front, and now another club is left trying to find one. [Read more 🡒]