It’s official: Cleveland Guardians infielder Juan Brito won’t make the team out of camp, and neither will right-handed reliever Trevor Stephan.
“Roster moves today: INF Juan Brito optioned to AAA Columbus, RHP Trevor Stephan reassigned to Minor League camp,” they posted.
Roster moves today
+INF Juan Brito optioned to AAA Columbus
+RHP Trevor Stephan reassigned to Minor League camp.— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) March 19, 2026
Unlike last year, when he lost out on the chance of becoming the Guardians’ starting second baseman in spring training, Brito wasn’t heavily favored this time around.
He still put in a valiant effort, with a home run and six RBI in Cactus League play, but his .154 batting average and .582 OPS through Wednesday were too much to overcome. He needed to have a huge spring to convince Cleveland to start him over Gabriel Arias at the keystone, but that wasn’t the case.
He will report to Triple-A and try to win a spot later on. With a fairly balanced offensive game, Brito has a chance to become a regular one day, but it doesn’t help that he is also blocked by the organization’s best prospect, Travis Bazzana.
Injuries limited Brito to 31 minor league games last year, and he put up a 110 wRC+. He has defensive versatility working in his favor, being capable of playing all infield spots and the outfield corners. He will need that adaptability if he wants to earn a role on the Guardians one day.
The Guardians might be gearing up to enter the season with Arias, Brayan Rocchio, and Daniel Schneemann as their primary middle infield options.
Stephan was one of MLB’s top setup men from 2021 to 2023, but he blew out his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery in the spring of 2024. He eventually returned last year but was unable to win a spot on the major league roster, posting a 9.51 ERA in 23.2 frames in the minors.
He still hasn’t been able to regain his pre-injury velocity, and that’s the most concerning development for his career. In 2022, his best year, Stephan’s fastball averaged 96.5 mph. He topped out at 91.4 mph during a recent spring outing 10 days ago.
Cleveland #Guardians RHP Trevor Stephan's final line today vs the Giants.
Line – 0.2(IP) 1H 1R 1ER 2BB 1SO
(22 Pitches 12 Strikes)
Topped out at 91.4 mph#GuardsSpring
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) March 11, 2026
The Guardians hope he eventually regains some of the lost velo. If he doesn’t, his MLB future looks, for the lack of a better word, murky.
NEXT: Guardians Manager Offers Updates On George Valera And Hunter Gaddis
