The Cleveland Guardians entered this season with high hopes and expectations for OF Jhonkensy Noel.
He slugged 13 home runs in 67 regular-season appearances last season, and his postseason heroics made him a fan favorite right out of the gate.
He entered Game 3 of the American League Championship Series and hit a game-tying pinch-hitting home run against the New York Yankees to help the team in a comeback win.
Now, after getting sent back to the minors, it seems like he’s finally getting his groove back.
As shown by Guardians Prospective on X, the 23-year-old outfielder reached base three times in his latest outing at Triple-A Columbus.
Cleveland #Guardians 23yr old OF Jhonkensy Noel reached base 3x tonight (1-3 RBI 2BB) for Columbus including this RBI base hit in the 4th inning in the team's win at Iowa.
Last three games:
4-10 2R 2HR 6RBI 3BB .400 AVG .538 OBP
Noel over 13 games with the Clippers:
16-51 7R… pic.twitter.com/T4ZhgMMKyr
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) June 25, 2025
He went 1-for-2 with two walks and one RBI in the Clippers’ win at Iowa.
Noel has looked solid in the last three games, going 4-for-10 with a couple of home runs, six RBI, three walks, and two runs scored while logging an OBP of .538.
Through his 13 games in Triple-A, he’s gone 16-for-51 with 13 RBI, seven runs, four doubles, four homers, and four walks.
He’s hitting .314 with a .364 OBP, a .627 SLG, and a .991 OPS.
Clearly, sending him back to the minors to give him regular at-bats has done wonders for his confidence and his groove.
Prior to his demotion, he made 46 appearances for Stephen Vogt’s team, slashing a questionable .146/.168/.223 with two homers, nine RBIs, three walks, and 34 strikeouts.
Noel is a young player who can still have a bright future, but he needs to keep shaking off this slump with regular at-bats.
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