The Cleveland Guardians have a crowded outfield this Spring Training with far too many bodies competing for three spots. After last year’s abysmal collective effort outside of Steven Kwan making another All-Star team, there is a lot of pressure on a few of these guys to step up in 2026 and help pull their own weight in an attempt to win a third straight AL Central crown.
The youngsters — CJ Kayfus, George Valera, and the oft-injured Chase DeLauter — all have big expectations and All-Star level ability if they are able to tap into it, but there are still a few mainstays trying to fend them off. One of those guys is Nolan Jones, who struggled last season with the Guardians and hasn’t done anything to inspire hope of a turnaround in Spring Training thus far.
Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com recently wrote about Jones and questioned his current spot on the team.
“The Guardians opened the Cactus League season with split squad games against the Brewers and Reds on Feb. 21. Jones, starting in right field, went 2 for 3 against Milwaukee with a double, homer and four RBI. Since then, however, Jones has once again been caught in between. Jones is 1 for 20 since the spring-training opener,” Hoynes wrote.
Jones broke out with the Colorado Rockies with a .931 OPS in 2023, but he hasn’t come close to that production since and cratered to a career-worst .600 OPS with just five homers in 136 games in 2025. It was the type of performance that puts his job in jeopardy, and him getting one hit in his last 20 at-bats in Spring Training certainly doesn’t help.
Valera, Kayfus, and Angel Martinez have all shown a lot more in Spring Training than Jones, and if that trend keeps up, Jones might not even have a spot on this roster. He has to get it going, and he has to do it immediately.
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