First baseman Kyle Manzardo, whom the Cleveland Guardians picked up in the Aaron Civale trade last year, is at the doorstep of an MLB promotion.
Considering how much he could help the Guardians at the moment, one can’t help but feel the organization is just waiting a few days/weeks for the Super Two deadline to pass and they can gain an extra year of team control.
In any case, the talented slugger should be up sometime in May.
He is too good not to.
Local analyst Adam the Bull proposed an avenue toward a Manzardo promotion.
It involves designating a veteran outfielder for assignment.
“The @CleGuardians should DFA Laureano tomorrow and call up Manzardo. Laureano has been awful since 2019. The ship has sailed. Time for their top prospect to get his opportunity. He’s earned it!” he tweeted.
The @CleGuardians should DFA Laureano tomorrow and call up Manzardo.
Laureano has been awful since 2019. The ship has sailed.
Time for their top prospect to get his opportunity. He’s earned it!
— Adam the Bull (@adamthebull) May 1, 2024
Manzardo plays first base and Laureano is an outfielder, but something along those lines could still be done if the Guardians are up for it.
The young prospect is hitting a cool .304/.382/.609 with seven home runs, 20 runs, and 18 RBI in 25 games in Triple-A Columbus.
He has been particularly hot as of late and really has nothing left to prove in Triple-A.
Laureano, on the other hand, has a meager .154/.297/.212 line with a .508 OPS in 20 games and 52 at-bats in MLB.
He has been good in the past, but his last truly great season was in 2019.
He could be a fine fourth outfielder, but the Guardians could really use Manzardo’s bat in the middle of the order.
Fans hope he is up sooner rather than later.
NEXT: Analyst Preaches Patience With Hunter Gaddis
