The Cleveland Guardians may be staring at a familiar deadline solution.
Two years ago, they went shopping for a right-handed bat in the outfield and landed Lane Thomas from the Washington Nationals. Now, with the offense struggling again, ESPN’s Buster Olney has floated the same name - only this time Thomas is with the Kansas City Royals.
“For a while, it looked like the Guardians' primary focus would be for a right-handed hitter, but with the offense floundering, they'll consider a full range of upgrades," Olney writes. "Someone like Lane Thomas of the Kansas City Royals might be a fit.”
Olney did not go any further than that, but the idea is hard to miss: Cleveland could be looking at a reunion with a player it already tried to plug into the lineup once before.
Thomas spent the remainder of 2024 with the Guardians and stayed there in 2025, but the results never really clicked. In 92 injury-plagued games in a Cleveland uniform, he hit just .189.
That led to his offseason move to Kansas City, where the production has been better. Through 93 games this season, Thomas is batting .230 with 16 doubles, 10 home runs and seven stolen bases.
His .724 OPS is close to his career mark, and it’s a long way from what he put up in Cleveland. Even so, there’s no certainty he’d be an upgrade for the Guardians if they tried to bring him back.
What he could offer is a bat that can at least be used against left-handed pitching.
Cleveland doesn’t usually make massive moves at this point on the calendar, but a Thomas-sized addition would be one it knows well.
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