The Cleveland Guardians have been without infielder Gabriel Arias since April 7. That’s when he was placed on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.
Arias, who has an 87 wRC+ for the season, had been starting to come around when he suffered the unfortunate injury. Initially, he was given a 4-to-8 week timetable for returning. Apparently, however, he won’t be able to come back in that timeframe because he suffered a setback.
“Stephen Vogt noted this afternoon that Gabriel Arias’ rehab from a left hamstring strain is “going to be a little bit longer” and that it “hit a little snag.” Arias was initially given a timetable of 4-8 weeks when he went on the IL on April 7.
Stephen Vogt noted this afternoon that Gabriel Arias' rehab from a left hamstring strain is "going to be a little bit longer" and that it "hit a little snag."
Arias was initially given a timetable of 4-8 weeks when he went on the IL on April 7.
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) May 8, 2026
The team didn’t offer any additional details about how long exactly Arias will miss, but he is no longer beating that 1-2 month initial estimate. This means he is now looking at June at the very least, possibly longer in all likelihood.
Arias had been starting at shortstop for the Guardians at the time of going down. After his injury, the team moved Brayan Rocchio to his position and called up Juan Brito to play at the keystone.
Brito just couldn’t do enough to establish himself, and the organization ended up promoting star prospect Travis Bazzana, whose offensive performance is still a work in progress, but he is, at least, contributing in other areas.
Arias had been getting hot at the time of his injury, racking up five hits, including a double and two home runs, in his last five games, with four RBI. He started so badly that he hadn’t yet reached the league-average threshold of 100 for offensive performance when he succumbed to the hamstring strain.
Arias is a career .215 hitter with a 76 wRC+, which means he is running out of chances to secure a place in the Guardians’ future. He is mostly solid with the glove, but Cleveland has been waiting forever for him to become an asset at the plate, and it hasn’t happened.
By the time he returns, he may not have a place to play, and even his roster spot could be in jeopardy.
NEXT: Guardians Beat Twins Behind Parker Messick's Strong Performance
