When Gabriel Arias had to be put on the injured list with a hamstring strain, the Cleveland Guardians had a significant decision to make. They could have promoted top prospect Travis Bazzana to make his major league debut, despite the decision to have the infielder start the season at Triple-A to enhance his development.
Instead, the Guardians promoted Juan Brito, and he made his MLB debut at second base, with Brayan Rocchio moving to shortstop to replace Arias. It seemed like a savvy decision, as Brito got off to a hot start, but like almost every rookie, he has cooled off considerably and at times looks like he does not belong.
Insider Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com sees those growing pains in the young Guardians infielder, saying he may be getting “squeezed by the pressure.”
“While watching Juan Brito strike out at an alarming rate and struggle in the field, I had to remind myself that about 85% of all MLB players go back to the minors at least once. In his first 45 MLB plate appearances, Brito has fanned 13 times with three walks. He’s hitting .159 (.481 OPS). Brito was 5-for-12 in his first three MLB games. You could see him being squeezed by the pressure, swinging at pitches out of the strike zone. He is in a 2-for-32 slump with 14 strikeouts. He’s also had two bad errors at second base,” Pluto wrote.
Brito has seven hits in 44 at-bats and three RBIs over 13 appearances. With the Guardians searching for consistent offense wherever they can find it, that is not a good sign for him staying in the majors much longer.
After getting injured on April 6, Arias was said to be facing a recovery timeline of 4-8 weeks, but he is currently playing well in minor league rehab games. The Guardians may simply choose to ride it out with Brito until Arias can return.
Bazzana, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, is batting .284 with a .906 OPS and 13 extra-base hits in 22 Triple-A games. Though there may be some service-time considerations going into these decisions, it may be hard for the Guardians to justify leaving Bazzana in the minors while using Brito in the majors if this situation comes up again.
The Guardians do have utilityman Daniel Schneemann available to play second base. He is off to an exceptional start, with a .310 batting average and a .911 OPS that is well above his career norms.
Despite that, Brito appeared in five of the seven games on the recently completed homestand, so the Guardians may be committed to him and hopeful he will turn it around, at least in the short term.
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