The Cleveland Guardians’ offense enjoyed a nice series finale against the San Francisco Giants and scored nine runs in the opener against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night. The lineup, however, will still be considered one of the worst in the majors until the players show they can sustain what they did in the past couple of days over a longer period.
One of the weakest links in the Cleveland offense has been first base. Kyle Manzardo was demoted when Nathaniel Lowe was acquired at the trade deadline, and even though the newcomer has been mostly solid, the other part of the platoon, Rhys Hoskins, is now on the injured list.
David Fry was called up to replace Hoskins on the roster, but the 2024 NL All-Star had already lost his playing time to Lowe. Luckily for Cleveland, the first baseman of the future is getting ready in Triple-A, dominating the league and showing that he deserves a role in the stretch run.
Ralphy Velazquez, the team’s first-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, has 24 home runs and a 139 wRC+ this season at Double-A and Triple-A. He combines excellent bat-to-ball skills with game-changing power and plate discipline. Major league rosters expand from 26 to 28 players on Sept. 1, yet there is almost no chance the Guardians will call him up this year.
Insider Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com explained why that is, with playing time one of the main reasons, as Lowe and Fry are the first-base platoon and the DH spot is reserved for Chase DeLauter, Jo Adell, and banged-up Jose Ramirez.
“That doesn’t leave many at-bats for Velazquez. If the Guardians had truly wanted him in Cleveland, they wouldn’t have traded for Lowe, who is hitting .267 (12 for 45) with two homers and nine RBIs since the trade,” he wrote.
Yet the main reason, according to Hoynes, has to do with the upcoming labor standoff between MLB and the players’ union that will, in all likelihood, result in a lockout.
“If they did select [Velazquez’s] contract for the stretch run, they’d have to put him on the 40-man roster. That would prevent him from playing in the minors next year should the anticipated lockout following the expiration of the current CBA in December last until next season. The Guardians certainly wouldn’t want one of their best prospects sitting at home next season instead of playing games,” he said.
Yes, Velazquez would be an upgrade for the 2026 lineup, although that’s not a given. Yes, it would be nice to have him get his feet wet with a cup of coffee in September.
However, a call-up next month is not realistic given the circumstances.
NEXT: Guardians Insider Discusses Potential Extension For Trade Acquisition
