The Guardians’ offense has started to stir a little after dropping a series to the surging San Diego Padres, and the lineup has gotten a boost from a few key names.
Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe have both given Cleveland a lift, Jose Ramirez has started to show signs of life, and Angel Genao has brought energy since his call-up from the minors. But while some bats are waking up, Travis Bazzana’s recent stretch has gone the other way.
Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com said Bazzana no longer looks like the player Cleveland first brought up in May. “[Travis Bazzana] doesn’t look like the same guy that came up and was hitting .311 in May,” Hoynes said. “He’s kind of been on a downward trajectory since then.”
The slump has shown up in the numbers. Bazzana’s OPS has fallen below .700, he’s batting just .178 in August with only one extra-base hit, and he hasn’t homered since July 20th. Since May 30th, he’s hitting just .199.
Bazzana still needs reps, but it’s getting harder to justify running him out there every day while the production is this light. With Genao swinging it well, Stephen Vogt has to keep leaning on the hot hand and keep finding ways to get him into the lineup.
A breather for Bazzana would be easier to manage if there were more players pressing for his at-bats. Genao alone probably isn’t enough to force him out of an everyday role, but the situation is getting close enough that Vogt may need to seriously weigh other options as the stretch run approaches.
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 🡒]