Cleveland Guardians outfielder Will Brennan was playing semi-regularly in mid-July when rib cage inflammation sent him to the injured list.
In an outfield where Steven Kwan is the only one who has earned undisputed starter status, any extended absence will harm your playing time prospects upon returning.
This is why Brennan spent a few days in the minor league: partly because he needed to regain his rhythm at the plate, but also to give the Guards some time to decide what to do roster-wise and lineup-wise with Brennan now healthy.
The Guardians have several players who can contribute in the outfield, but despite this situation, Brennan found himself on the big league roster on August 9.
Since that day, he hasn’t stopped hitting as Cleveland Baseball Insider tweeted.
Chill Will has been red hot 😎#Guardians | #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/sjL0PNTjEm
— Cleveland Baseball Insider (@GuardiansOnSI) August 15, 2024
Brennan returned towards the end of the Guardians’ seven-game losing streak and was instrumental in the team turning around that bad stint and winning five contests in a row.
Now, it would be hard to take him out of the lineup as long as he is hitting like this.
In six games and 21 plate appearances since August 9, Brennan is slashing a cool .381/.381/.524 with a double, a triple and a .905 OPS.
The sample size is tiny, yes, but it’s still worth mentioning.
For the season, Brennan is at a disappointing .690 OPS with eight homers in 83 games.
Maybe his current run of good form will take him north of .700 OPS and he can start cementing his place in manager Stephen Vogt’s plans every day.
There will always be some sort of rotation, but when a player is streaking, he will play.
That’s what’s happening with Brennan at the moment.
NEXT: Stephen Vogt Praises Veteran Starter As Strong Outing Leads To Guardians Sweep
