Opening the door for the Royals to sneak by.

Guardians

Bubble wrap him now: The Guardians must get Chase DeLauter across the spring training finish line

Updated: Mar. 18, 2026, 11:35 a.m.|Published: Mar. 18, 2026, 11:34 a.m.

By Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — There’s a specific kind of anxiety that comes with watching a prospect you’ve waited years for finally arrive — and then praying, during every single plate appearance, that nothing goes wrong. That tension is palpable on the latest episode of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, as beat reporters Joe Noga and Paul Hoynes discuss the simultaneously electrifying and nerve-wracking spring of Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter.

The numbers have been staggering. Coming into this week, DeLauter is batting .393 this spring with a 1.076 OPS. His double in Cleveland’s 8-6 comeback win over the Reds left the bat at 115.3 miles per hour — the hardest-hit ball by any Guardians player in spring training this year.

He stood in for José Ramírez in the three-hole on Tuesday. He’s been making plays in right field. He has been, by every conceivable measure, exactly the player Cleveland drafted and developed him to become.

And yet — the anxiety remains.

“Every time he comes to the plate or catches a fly ball, you’re just kind of waiting for something ... the other shoe to drop. Hopefully this is a good sign. He’s played really well and he can just make it to opening day and then we’ll go from there.”

The held breath. The waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s not cynicism — it’s context. Because the backdrop surrounding DeLauter’s outstanding spring has been shadowed by injury. George Valera, the other young outfielder who entered camp with Opening Day aspirations, is already done — a calf muscle injury hampering his spring and almost certainly his chance to open the season on the active roster. Valera’s absence is a cautionary tale playing out in real time, and it hangs over every DeLauter at-bat like a storm cloud.

Into that emotional landscape, Noga offered the most relatable two-word prescription a Guardians fan could hear.

“Put him in bubble wrap for the next week,” Noga said. “Make sure he gets on the plane to Seattle next week. And as long as nothing happens between now and then, we’re looking at the starting right fielder and a guy who’s pretty much going to be a linchpin for this lineup.”

Bubble wrap. That’s where Cleveland is right now. Not debating whether DeLauter can be a star — that part seems settled. The conversation has shifted entirely to survival mode. Just get to the plane. Just make it to Seattle. Just stay healthy for six more days, and the kid with the .393 Cactus League average and 1.076 OPS gets the moment he’s been building toward his entire professional life.

It’s worth understanding what DeLauter represents for this lineup. José Ramírez is still easing back carefully from a shoulder injury. Hunter Gaddis is navigating a right forearm issue that could send him to the injured list to open the year. Valera is on the shelf for now. The Guardians are threading a needle, managing multiple fragile situations simultaneously — and DeLauter is the one piece they most desperately cannot afford to lose.

The stakes were underscored further when the conversation turned to the Spring Breakout showcase game, in which DeLauter is expected to participate. Noga didn’t hide his frustration with the concept when it applies to a player this close to the show.

“You definitely don’t want to expose either of those guys (DeLauter and Travis Bazzana) to any sort of injuries, getting extra playing time or anything like that in spring training when both are so close to contributing and being such a big part of what the major league team is ready to do this year.”

It’s a legitimate concern. When a player is hitting 115-mph rockets and posting elite OPS numbers and sliding into the three-hole as though he was born there, asking him to play in an additional showcase game starts to feel less like an opportunity and more like an unnecessary gamble with something precious. Noga even drew a parallel to the NBA’s rookie showcase, where transcendent talents like Victor Wembanyama were made to play in games beneath their current level — a comparison that lands.

But here’s what all this anxiety ultimately signals: Chase DeLauter has been that good. The Guardians don’t hold their breath over players they’re lukewarm about. They hold their breath over the ones who matter — the ones who change things. And right now, DeLauter matters enormously.

Get on the plane, Chase. Cleveland is waiting.

<

Guardians

The pitcher who ‘gets it’: Why Kolby Allard is a Guardians underrated asset

Updated: Mar. 18, 2026, 11:37 a.m.|Published: Mar. 18, 2026, 11:37 a.m.

By Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — In a baseball landscape drunk on radar gun readings and spin rate metrics, the latest episode of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast makes a passionate, convincing case for the kind of pitcher that analytics can’t fully capture. His name is Kolby Allard, and according to veteran Guardians beat reporters Joe Noga and Paul Hoynes, he might just be one of the most quietly valuable arms in the entire Cleveland organization.

That’s a bold claim for a guy who’s almost certainly going to start the 2026 season in Triple-A Columbus. But that’s exactly the point Noga and Hoynes hammered home after Allard turned in a sharp three-inning, five-strikeout performance against the Reds in Goodyear — a performance that said everything about who he is and what he brings to the table.

Let’s be clear about what Kolby Allard is not. He is not a flamethrower. He is not a guy whose metrics jump off the page. In an era when bullpens are stocked with high-90s heaters and wipeout sliders, Allard is something almost anachronistic — a pitcher in the truest sense of the word. He challenges hitters. He works the edges. He throws strikes, attacks the zone, and trusts his craft. And in Goodyear last night, that was more than enough.

“He’s a guy that gets it,” Hoynes said. “There’s a lot of guys in the big leagues that don’t get it. They play the game one way. This is a guy that’s been through the mill, so to speak. He’s adaptable, he’ll change roles. He knows what he has to do to be a long guy, to be a short guy, to be a starter.”

“Gets it.” Two words. But in professional baseball, those two words separate careers from cup-of-coffee stints. Hoynes has covered this game long enough to recognize the difference between a talent and a player — and in his assessment, Allard is the latter in the fullest sense.

“He didn’t have a lot of success early on and he had to learn and come back and now you get the best version of him, I think.”

That’s not just a baseball story. That’s a story about perseverance, self-awareness, and the willingness to evolve. A lot of players with Allard’s pedigree never survive the fall from first-round phenom to organizational arm. They flame out or drift into journeyman irrelevance. Allard did something harder — he adapted.

And that adaptation, Noga argued, requires a specific brand of mental toughness that doesn’t always get its due.

“You talk about mental fortitude, I guess there’s also the mental fortitude of just being able to be adaptable and accept whatever role,” Noga said. “If they tell you right up front there’s not a spot for you right now either in the rotation or in the bullpen, but we know that you’re going to help us at some point during the season.”

That’s the part that gets overlooked. The mental fortitude to hear “there’s no spot for you right now” and respond with professionalism rather than resentment? That is genuinely rare. And manager Stephen Vogt clearly recognizes it.

According to Noga, the way Vogt talks about Allard signals that Cleveland’s front office sees him not as an afterthought but as a chess piece — a reliable, versatile arm they fully expect to call upon when the long 162-game grind starts wearing rosters thin.

Because here’s the thing about a full season: the pitcher who can eat innings, flip between roles without complaint, and get hitters out without elite stuff is gold. When September arrives, Kolby Allard is going to resurface. Don’t count him out. Noga and Hoynes certainly aren’t.

<

Guardians

Guardians prospects roster: Who made the MLB Spring Breakout game vs. the Angels

Updated: Mar. 18, 2026, 6:06 p.m.|Published: Mar. 18, 2026, 4:31 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Last year’s first-round pick Jace LaViolette and left-hander Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson are among the players who made the Guardians’ roster for Thursday’s third annual Spring Breakout game against the Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

The Spring Breakout format highlights the game’s top young players over a four-day period during spring training in Arizona and Florida. The Guardians game against the Angels starts at 2 p.m. ET.

The Guardians used their No. 1 pick in 2025 to select LaViolette out of Texas A&M. LaViolette, who set a career record with 57 homers for the Aggies, did not play for Cleveland last year because of two surgeries on his left hand.

The Guardians’ 27-man roster includes right-hander Yorman Gomez, shortstop Angel Genao and outfielder Kahlil Watson, who are all on the 40-man roster. They have all been sent to minor league camp, but manager Stephen Vogt was particularly pleased with the work of Genao and Watson.

Gomez, added to the 40-man roster in November, will start against the Angels. He went 12-2 with a 2.96 ERA in 27 games, including 15 starts, last season for Class A Lake County and Double-A Akron.

The 23-year-old Gomez struck out 139 and walked 48 in 121 1/3 innings. This spring he made two appearances, allowing four earned runs in 3 1/3 innings for 10.80 ERA.

Second baseman Travis Bazzana and outfielder Chase DeLauter, Cleveland’s No. 1 and No. 2 prospects according to MLB.com, will not play in the game. The Guardians told Bazzana he will not be on the opening-day roster but is still training with the Guardians. DeLauter could be the starting right fielder when the Guardians open the regular season March 26 in Seattle.

Six players who were invited to big-league camp on minor league deals made the roster, including catchers Cooper Ingle and Jacob Cozart, infielder Milan Tolentino, first baseman Ralphy Velazquez and outfielders Alfonsin Rosario and Wuilfredo Antunez. Outfielder Jaison Chourio didn’t get invited to big league camp but was a frequent participant from the depth camp.

Genao and Velazquez were the No. 3 and No. 4 ranked prospects in the Guardians’ system according to MLB.com. Ingle was No. 6.

The highest ranked pitchers on the roster are right-handers Braylon Doughty (No. 8) and Joey Oakie (No. 10). Daniel Espino, Cleveland’s No.1 pick in 2019, was not put on the roster as he continues to rebound after nearly three years of inactivity because of injuries.

Lefty Parker Messick started last year’s Spring Breakout game for Cleveland. Messick, competing for a spot in the big-league rotation, will start against Kansas City on Thursday.

Erlin Cerda, manager of the Class A Hill City Howlers, will manage the Guardians’ prospects.

Name Position B/T

Doughty, Braylon RHP
Ellerts, Magnus RHP
Flores, Luis LHP
Gómez, Yorman RHP
Hartle, Josh LHP
Jachec, Matt RHP
Jasiak, Jack RHP
Oakie, Joey RHP
Wilkinson, Matt LHP
Cozart, Jacob C L/R
Ingle, Cooper C L/R
Curley, Dean INF R/R
Devers, Jose INF L/R
Fernández, Dauri INF S/R
Genao, Angel INF S/R
Rodríguez, Gabriel INF L/R
Schubart, Nolan INF L/R
Tolentino, Milán INF L/R
Velazquez, Ralphy INF L/R
Antúnez, Wuilfredo OF L/R
Arias, Robert OF L/L
Caceres, Juneiker OF L/L
Chourio, Jaison OF S/R
LaViolette, Jace OF L/L
Mitchell, Nick OF L/R
Rosario, Alfonsin OF R/R
Watson, Kahlil OF L/R

<

Angel Martinez Is Leading Spring Training In Key Stat

March 18, 2026

By Justin Hussong

Angel Martinez struggled mightily at the plate last year in his debut season for the Cleveland Guardians, but he has hit well in Spring Training and could be ready to take a big step forward in 2026. He hit just .224 with a .628 OPS and will likely cede his center field duties to Steven Kwan this year, but he is also the only righty in this suddenly crowded outfield and can be a legitimate weapon if he can up his OPS over .700.

However, in Spring, his OPS is over 1.000 and he is showing things fans never saw in 2025. He not only looks much improved from when he was one of the worst everyday hitters in baseball last year, but he now looks like one of the best hitters in Spring Training as evidenced by a recent stat.

Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes recently touched on this in his latest article and pointed out that Martinez’s nine extra-base hits are tied with Shea Langeliers and Max Muncy of the Athletics for the most in the Cactus League. It’s an incredible step forward after collecting just 36 extra base hits in 446 at-bats last season.

“Angel Martinez is tied for the Cactus League lead with nine extra base hits. He shares the lead with Shea Langeliers and Max Muncy of the A’s,” Hoynes wrote.

If Martinez wasn’t hitting like this in Spring, it would have been easy to see a path where he saw his playing time drastically reduced in 2026. Chase DeLauter, CJ Kayfus, and George Valera are breathing down his neck and are going to see a lot of playing time this season, with veterans like Nolan Jones (who might not make the team) and Daniel Schneemann seeing the biggest hit to their at-bats.

Another thing Martinez has going for him is that he is the only member of this crowded outfield who bats from the right side of the plate. This lineup, in general, is desperate for somebody to emerge from the right side this year, and Martinez being that guy would be a pleasant surprise.

It’s easy to forget that Martinez only just turned 24 and that the version of him fans saw last year could be the worst version of him. Hopefully, this offensive production can carry over past Opening Day and the team has another young star on its hands.

<

Guardians Prospect Is Drawing Comparisons To Jose Ramirez

March 18, 2026

By Justin Hussong

Cleveland Guardians fans have been blessed to have front-row seats to future Hall of Famer Jose Ramirez’s entire career, which began when he was called up in 2013 and will hopefully run all the way until the end of his new contract extension, which has him tied to the organization through 2032. He continues to carry this offense on his back year after year while remaining in great health and being the consummate teammate and leader that this fan base can be proud of.

The only thing that Ramirez could do to make things better would be to clone himself so the team could have more than one of him. According to some, perhaps that notion isn’t so crazy.

Cleveland.com’s Terry Pluto recently spent a week in Goodyear, Arizona to observe the Guardians in Spring Training, and he came away impressed with Class-A infielder Dauri Hernandez.

He was so impressed that he even made some comparisons to Jose Ramirez.

“Dauri Fernandez. He is a class A infielder and he played in rookie ball. I saw him in a few innings and so he looks kind of interesting. And then I looked up his stats. I mean we’re talking rookie ball now. They were really good. He moves real well. I mean one guy was telling me, you know, it’s kind of a little bit like when Jose [Ramirez] was real young. And of course everybody’s always looking for the next Jose. But there was some of that, that even though he’s a teenager, it looks like he knows how to play. He just seemed to have some poise out there in the field,” Pluto said.

This is high praise for a kid who just turned 19. As wild as it may sound, it’s easy to draw connections between the two.

Fernandez is only 5’9″, just like Ramirez, and has already displayed impressive speed on the bases and patience at the dish that you wouldn’t expect from a 19-year-old. He is also a switch-hitter like Ramirez, which is sadly becoming a dying art.

He has yet to settle into a single position on the infield, but he has displayed a strong arm and could project as a second or third baseman long-term, which is what a lot of people saw in Ramirez at a similar age.

Guardians fans don’t need to start counting the days until Jose Ramirez 2.0 shows up, but it’s encouraging to see someone like this in the system. Ramirez is among the most highly-regarded players in baseball by his peers, and there are much worse guys a prospect could model his game after.

<

New Guardians Slugger Is Making His Mark In Spring Training

March 18, 2026

By Andres Chavez

On February 22, the Cleveland Guardians decided to take a leap of faith on someone who has surpassed the 25-homer threshold five times in his career: Rhys Hoskins.

Hoskins is not particularly athletic and is not a good defender, but he does one thing very well: hit for power. He quietly has 186 career home runs and sent 12 balls out of the park last year in 90 games, in a down season.

The circumstances in which he was signed, however, gave the Guardians a chance to secure a premium power hitter for a very small price. He had to prove himself in the Cactus League, though, because it was, after all, a minor league signing.

Hoskins has done that and more. On Tuesday, he hit another homer against the Cincinnati Reds to put his OPS over the .900 mark.

“Hoskins is slugging .586 with a .939 OPS over his 34 plate appearances in the spring,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.

The blast, which left Hoskins’ bat at 109.7 mph, was his third of the spring. He had another plate appearance after the round-tripper, so those numbers changed slightly to a .567 slugging percentage and a .910 OPS. The point stands, though: he’s getting hot in a hurry.

No one in the Guardians has more home runs than Hoskins’ three in Cactus League play, and only superstar Jose Ramirez has driven in more teammates, with nine. The slugging first baseman/designated hitter has eight RBI so far.

The expectation is that Hoskins captures a roster spot and pushes CJ Kayfus to Triple-A, at least to open the year. The former Phillie and Brewer will share first base and designated hitter duties with Kyle Manzardo, complementing him to perfection.

Over the course of his career, Hoskins has been much better against lefties (137 wRC+) than righties (115), but he has no issues facing the latter and doesn’t need to be platooned. The Guardians still haven’t officially determined how they will use him, but they have to officially give him a roster spot first. It’s widely expected to happen in the upcoming days.

Hoskins alone won’t make the Guardians a top-five offense, but he sure can help in a department that has consistently failed in recent years: power.

<

Meanwhile Kyle Manzardo has had a terrible spring with stats in Nolan Jones territory. I homer, many strikeouts.
He's been hitting 6th or 7th lately.
He came in with much more muscle but it hasn't helped.
I recall one of our prospects about 10 years ago who showed up so muscle=-bound he couldn't really play. Bobby Bradley?

His line this spring: 122/182/195 16 strikeouts 3 walks
Jones is 152/222/303 14 strikeouts 3 walks.

Firstbase competitor CJ Kayfus has been superficially unimpresive but with extra base hits and walks far more successful:
194/342/484 10 strikeouts 7 walks

I suppose Manzardo is out of minor league options. But he needs to prove that he is not yet another one year wonder. I don't expect that to be the case but thank goodness we have DeLauter and Hoskins to hit behind Jose.

No. 10 prospect Oakie charting own path as flamethrowing righty

5:58 PM CDT

TEMPE, Ariz. -- During his childhood in Iowa, Guardians pitching prospect Joey Oakie made it appointment viewing when he could watch baseball royalty take the mound.

“I loved Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer,” Oakie said. “Those two guys I always loved watching on TV. Now, I like watching [Paul] Skenes. He’s a good guy to watch.”

Oakie is now charting his own path as a flame-throwing right-hander -- and a rising talent in Cleveland's farm system. That was on display Thursday, when the 19-year-old took the mound in the Guardians’ 4-2 win over the Angels in the third annual Spring Breakout game.

Oakie, ranked as the Guardians’ No. 10 prospect by MLB Pipeline, tossed two scoreless innings in which he allowed two singles and one walk and struck out three batters. He threw 34 pitches (19 strikes), and 17 were at least 97.0 mph. He maxed out at 99.1 mph, with his sinker.

“It's fun to see him,” said Erlin Cerda, the Guardians’ Spring Breakout manager who’s entering his first season as skipper of Single-A Hill City (formerly Lynchburg). “He was [around] 94, 95 [mph] last year, and then he just started getting up, getting up. That means he's doing what he needs to do to put himself in a really good position.”

Oakie made his pro debut on May 6 last season in the ACL, and only turned 19 three days later. Coming straight out of high school, there was a natural acclimation process he experienced in the pro ranks, in which there are more resources. He logged a 7.46 ERA with 23 walks and 47 strikeouts in 35 innings over 12 games (including nine starts) in the ACL.

“It was a big learning curve,” Oakie said. “It took me until halfway through the season to really get good routines and really understand how to use all those resources to my advantage. I feel like I'm in a better spot than I was at the start of last year.”

We saw that play out after Oakie was promoted to Single-A on July 28. Over six starts, he recorded a 2.22 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings. Oakie (who also throws a sweeper, slider and changeup with his four-seamer and sinker) noted he hit 90 mph as a freshman in high school and continued to gain velocity. It’s continued to increase as he’s worked with the Guardians' staff and developed routines that work for him.

Oakie’s first pitch on Thursday was a 98 mph four-seamer below the zone to first baseman Ben Gobbel. Oakie came back with three more four-seamers in the zone, up and outside. Gobbel swung through each.

Catcher Juan Flores (the Angels’ No. 21 prospect) followed Gobbel and suffered a similar fate. Oakie threw Flores a 99 mph four-seamer up and outside for a ball. He then got Flores to chase a slider outside, watch a four-seamer over the heart of the plate for a strike, and chase another four-seamer outside for strike three.

Oakie worked around a single and a walk to get through the sixth inning. He needed just 14 pitches to get through the seventh, when he worked around a two-out single by striking out designated hitter Lucas Ramirez with a 98.4 mph fastball at the letters.

Oakie will likely begin this season with Hill City. He has a few steps to reach before the Majors, but Thursday’s performance combined with his finish to 2025 inspires confidence in what ‘26 could hold.

“It’s great because I feel like there were two parts of last year,” Oakie said. “I got a lot better in between it, and now I feel like I've taken another step since last year. I'm really excited to get out there this year.”

Yorman Gómez started on Thursday and allowed one hit over three scoreless innings. He struck out one batter. Wuilfredo Antunez provided the Guardians’ offense some thump when he belted a three-run homer in the fourth inning. The blast had a 102.6 mph exit velocity.

The Guardians added Gómez to their 40-man roster in November. He recorded a 2.96 ERA over 27 games (15 starts) between High-A Lake County and Akron last year. Antunez slugged 18 homers between Lake County and Akron last year.

“It felt good. It was a great opportunity [to start],” Gómez said through interpreter Anna Bolton. “I was able to give my best and show that I’m ready for the season.”

Tim Stebbins covers the Guardians for MLB.com.

<

Travis Bazzana



Terry Pluto

How Terry Pluto is feeling about the 2026 Guardians after he spent a week in Goodyear

Updated: Mar. 19, 2026, 2:12 p.m.|Published: Mar. 19, 2026, 1:59 p.m.

By Terry's Talkin' podcast, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - “Guardedly optimistic.” That was Terry Pluto’s bottom-line take after spending the better part of a week watching the Guardians in Goodyear, Arizona.

For the Guardians, everything starts and ends with pitching. And that was the first thing Pluto addressed on this week’s edition of the Terry’s Talkin’ podcast, including manager Stephen Vogt’s feelings about the rotation.

“Guardedly optimistic. Optimistic because Vogt said he is feeling much better about the starting pitching than he did a year ago, and just overall about the pitching, because the pitching is the whole foundation of the franchise.”

Parker Messick has had a standout spring training. Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams got knocked around in a couple of outings, but Pluto said he isn’t worried — veteran pitchers experiment in the desert heat, and Arizona’s thin air makes balls fly.

His bigger concern? Logan Allen, who returned from pitching for Panama in the World Baseball Classic and looked shaky, carrying a minor league option heading into roster decisions.

The bullpen, meanwhile, has looked settled.

The other reason for Pluto’s optimism is Chase DeLauter. The outfield prospect is hitting .400 this spring, and Pluto’s assessment went well beyond the stat line.

“They have not had a hitter like this,” Pluto said. “He would belong on the Indians of the ’90s, you know, that kind of bat, that kind of big guy, that kind of size.”

DeLauter isn’t projected as a 35-homer slugger — he’s a complete hitter with a bat that works all fields, with power still developing as he matures physically.

Pluto traced the full arc of his journey: the broken foot that knocked him out of a top-10 draft slot, his Cape Cod League batting title, and the game at Lake County when Pluto first watched DeLauter in person.

The challenge is keeping DeLauter on the field. His foot and hamstring issues aren’t due to lack of effort — if anything, Pluto said, he over-trains. The Guardians may need to manage his time creatively, perhaps putting him at designated hitter when needed. But the bat is real.

And then there’s Travis Bazzana — the No. 1 overall pick from the 2024 draft who has arrived at camp carrying the entire fan base’s expectations. Pluto has watched him several times now.

“Bazzana, I’ve watched him now a few times,” Pluto said. “I mean, I admit you look at him physically and you go, ‘So this is the No. 1 pick in the draft?’

“He’s just sort of an average-looking guy.”

Pluto did point out that patience is in order: The entire 2024 MLB draft class has largely underperformed — none of the top picks other than A’s Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz has set the world on fire.

Oblique injuries have stalled Bazzana’s development. Unlike a defensive standout who can contribute while his bat catches up, Bazzana’s real value proposition is hitting — and right now, he’s heading to Triple-A to sharpen exactly that.

<

Guardians

Stephen Vogt says rotation, bullpen, and bench battles remain unresolved as Opening Day approaches: Guardians takeaways

Updated: Mar. 19, 2026, 7:28 p.m.|Published: Mar. 19, 2026, 7:23 p.m.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — With one week remaining before Opening Day, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt and his staff are working through what he calls “some really difficult decisions” as they finalize the team’s 26-man roster.

The decision-making process has become more complex due to a competitive spring training camp that has produced multiple viable candidates for the final roster spots across the rotation, bullpen, and bench.

“There’s still some decisions to be made,” Vogt said. “It’s been a really competitive camp. We were hoping that we would have this problem.”

Vogt said just because the club encouraged competition in camp does not mean the prospect of having to cut players is something they are looking forward to.

“We don’t like it,” he said. “It’s not fun to have these conversations. But at the same time we’re getting down to it and we know we’ve got some decisions to make here in the next few days.”

The Guardians are taking a collaborative approach to constructing their Opening Day roster, with input from both the major league coaching staff and the front office playing crucial roles in the final determinations.

“It’s a very collaborative discussion here,” Vogt explained. “There’s a lot of people that have input and we want to hear everybody’s input we put a lot of stock into the Opening Day roster, as well we should. It’s an honor.”

However, Vogt was quick to emphasize that the Opening Day roster represents just the beginning of what will likely be a fluid season-long process of roster management.

“We’ve used over 50 players the last two years and we know that the team we leave here with won’t necessarily be the team we have at the end of the year or a week from now or a month from now,” he said.

Beyond on-field performance, the decision-making process must also account for various contractual considerations that could impact both individual players and the organization’s long-term depth. Veterans such as Rhys Hoskins have opt-out clauses in their contract that necessitate decisions being made within a certain timeframe.

“There’s other ramifications,” Vogt said. “There’s a lot of things that we’re working through and trying to put together the best 26 that we can to Goodyear.”

George Valera, Hunter Gaddis ‘progressing’

Complicating the roster picture are injury situations involving outfielder George Valera (calf) and reliever Hunter Gaddis (right forearm). Neither player has been able to return to game action in the last two weeks. While Vogt confirmed that both players are “progressing well” and improving day by day, the compressed timeline is creating urgency around their status.

“We’re running out of time,” Vogt said. “We realize that, and so we may have to make some decisions soon.”

Trevor Stephan, Juan Brito sent to Triple-A

Among the roster moves already made, the Guardians reassigned Trevor Stephan to Triple-A Columbus, along with optioning infielder Juan Brito.

Stephan appeared in four Cactus League games and logged 3 1/3 innings with a 2.70 ERA and five strikeouts. He allowed one earned run allowed and four walks, but continues to struggle with fastball velocity after 2024 elbow surgery.

The Guardians are paying Stephan $3.5 million the final year of a four-year, $10 million deal he signed in March of 2023.

“With Steph we’re seeing the pitch ability is there, the execution is there, the movement on his offspeed is there, it’s just not coming out the way he would like it to or we would like it to,” Vogt said. “We’re all rooting for Steph to get back on the right track.”

Brito hit .145 in 14 games with a home run, six RBI and 11 strikeouts. Vogt expressed confidence in what he saw from the switch-hitting infielder

“We saw at times really good at-bat quality,” Vogt said. “We saw a really good body of work from Juan this spring.”

As part of Brito’s development plan in the minors, the organization will focus on building his defensive versatility across multiple infield positions and potentially right field.

“The more spots we can get his bat in the order the better,” Vogt explained, adding that Brito remains “one phone call away” if the team needs him.

With the clock ticking toward Opening Day, the Guardians’ brain trust will continue weighing performance, potential, and practicality as they finalize their roster decisions in the coming days.

<