The Cleveland Guardians will open a new series against the New York Mets at Progressive Field on Tuesday. They will do so after a strong deadline in which they added up to five quality pieces, most of them with an eye on fortifying the major league roster.
Reliever Craig Yoho was already added to the roster over the weekend, but the Guardians needed three spots for outfielder Jo Adell, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, and starting pitcher Foster Griffin. As a result of the flurry of arrivals, Cleveland needed to send down quite a few people.
Most of the moves have already been discussed throughout the day, but the team made them official on Tuesday afternoon.
We’ve got a few moves today. #GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/IpBn7qQImX
— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) August 4, 2026
Utilityman David Fry, first baseman Kyle Manzardo, and pitcher Franco Aleman have all been optioned to Triple-A Columbus. Others such as Petey Halpin, Matt Festa, and Gabriel Arias survived the first post-deadline roster crunch.
Fry just hasn’t been the same after his magical 2024 campaign, in which he posted a 129 wRC+ and made the All-Star team. He underwent Tommy John surgery shortly after that postseason, missed part of the 2025 campaign, and struggled when he was on the field.
His 63 wRC+ last year and 84 mark in 2026 were bad enough to convince the Guardians to send him to Columbus, where he can hit the reset button and try to earn his way back to the active roster. It won’t be easy, though, with the Guardians’ newfound depth.
Manzardo, owner of a 113 wRC+ last year with 27 round-trippers, is sporting a 95 wRC+ in 2026 with just 13 homers. He appeared to be trending in the right direction in recent weeks after a rough start, but the Guardians need more consistency out of the strong side of the first base platoon.
Aleman was sent down to accommodate Griffin in the rotation, with Slade Cecconi being moved to the bullpen. The young flamethrower had a 3.77 ERA and will surely be back again this season.
Shawn Armstrong recently suffered a serious calf injury and likely won’t return this season.
The new-look Guardians roster will try to push the team past the Chicago White Sox in the fight for the AL Central title. Before Friday’s games, Cleveland is three games behind.
NEXT: Guardians Insider Explains Why Underachieving Infielder Survived Deadline
