The Cleveland Guardians took second baseman Travis Bazzana with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, knowing that he could make an impact in the majors shortly after. Here we are, in 2026, and the player is about as major league-ready as they come.
After another productive day at the plate on Saturday in which he hit his first home run, the dynamic infielder is now slashing .278/.374/.481 with the homer, nine doubles, two triples, and five stolen bases in 19 games in Triple-A, with Columbus. His .855 OPS is well above the league average.
At this point, Bazzana is probably ready for The Show, but the Guardians will try to keep him down for as long as they can until they make sure they gain an extra year of team control over him. Circumstances, however, appear to be forcing Cleveland’s hand.
Bazzana is red-hot at the plate over his last eight games, inflicting damage left and right with his potent bat. The numbers don’t lie.
“Bazzana during current 8-game on-base streak: 13-32, 6 R, 7 (2B), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 3 SB, AVG .406, OBP .486,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.
Bazzana during current 8-game on-base streak:
13-32 6R 7(2B) 1HR 2RBI 5BB 3SB
AVG .406
OBP .486 https://t.co/rxQQmbhAF5— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) April 18, 2026
In other words, Bazzana is heating up at the plate, hitting over .400 in his last eight games with a whopping eight extra-base hits, seven of those being doubles. He is getting on base almost half the time over that stretch.
The Guardians are currently using Juan Brito and Daniel Schneemann at second base. The former is in the middle of an ugly slump, which has forced the latter to be used at the keystone sometimes.
Brito hasn’t adjusted to MLB pitching yet and is in the middle of a learning process. The Guardians, however, can’t afford to give away any games. Right now, it seems that they would be at their best if Bazzana plays every day at second base rather than Brito, keeping Schneemann available to back up all positions.
Bazzana is slowly forcing the Guardians’ hand. It might take a little bit longer, but right now, it seems that every other player is just warming up the position for his arrival.
NEXT: Guardians Re-Sign Pitcher To Minor League Deal
