Cooper Ingle has hit his way into a conversation that goes beyond his usual position. The catcher has been one of the most productive bats at Triple-A Columbus all season, and that production has prompted Cleveland to explore a path to the major leagues that does not run through the catcher’s spot.
Paul Hoynes detailed the organization’s thinking in a recent column.
“Catcher Cooper Ingle has been hot all season at Columbus. He’s been so hot that the Guardians have started playing him in left and right field should there be an opportunity to bring him to Cleveland. The Guardians have catching depth. What they don’t have is hitters, which is why they’ve encouraged Ingle to play the outfield,” Hoynes wrote.
Ingle was a fourth-round pick out of Clemson in 2023 and has carved out a reputation as a disciplined, productive hitter throughout his time in the minor leagues. With Austin Hedges and Patrick Bailey already entrenched behind the plate in Cleveland, the traditional path for Ingle to reach the majors as a catcher was always going to be crowded.
His bat has made the decision to find him a new position an easy one. Ingle is hitting .292 with a .565 slugging percentage and a .987 OPS at Triple-A this season, numbers that rank among the better marks in the entire system regardless of position. His career track record backs up the recent surge, as he has posted an .869 OPS across six minor league and college seasons, a level of consistency that suggests his current hot stretch is not simply a fluke.
Cleveland’s offensive need has become impossible to ignore given the injuries to Jose Ramirez, Angel Martinez and Chase DeLauter. Moving a catcher into a corner outfield spot is not a conventional transition, but it is far from unprecedented, and Ingle’s bat gives Cleveland a reason to make the experiment worthwhile.
Whether Ingle ultimately reaches Cleveland as an outfielder, a designated hitter, or in some hybrid role remains to be determined, but the organization’s openness to the idea signals real urgency about finding more offense wherever it can be found. If his bat continues producing at this level, the position he plays may end up mattering far less than simply getting him into the lineup.
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