The Cleveland Guardians are no longer in sole possession of first place in the AL Central.
They lost that privilege by dropping the first three of a four-game set with the Kansas City Royals to open the week.
Their offense has been wildly inconsistent in recent games, and they have too many ice-cold players in the lineup.
Steven Kwan, the leadoff hitter, has a .575 OPS after the break.
Here are some of the Guardians’ post All-Star OPS marks: David Fry (.702), Andres Gimenez (.573), Will Brennan (.590), Daniel Schneemann (.636), Josh Naylor (.659), Tyler Freeman (.461), Brayan Rocchio (.592), and Bo Naylor (.633).
Now, the Guardians certainly won’t demote Naylor or Gimenez (because he has been extended and important resources are allocated on him), but many players on that list haven’t earned a permanent place on the roster on the lineup.
It’s baffling when you see the Triple-A Columbus lineup with so many talented players deserving of a chance and the front office doesn’t call them up.
Gabriel Arias is having a hot stretch and deserves another shot in the majors, Kyle Manzardo seems improved against lefties and also deserves another chance.
The recently-promoted Chase DeLauter, however, is white-hot in Columbus.
The Guards need to keep a close eye on him, as he could provide solutions to some of their current offensive struggles.
DeLauer might be raw, but bringing him up is a risk that the Guardians might need to take.
“#Guardians 22yr old OF Chase DeLauter reached base 4x tonight (3-5 R 3(2B) 3RBI BB) for Columbus in their win at Gwinnett driving in three runs on three doubles! 10 XBH over last 12 games: 17-44 10R 5(2B) 5HR 15RBI 6BB .386 AVG .442 OBP,” Guardians prospective tweeted.
#Guardians 22yr old OF Chase DeLauter reached base 4x tonight (3-5 R 3(2B) 3RBI BB) for Columbus in their win at Gwinnett driving in three runs on three doubles!
10 XBH over last 12 games:
17-44 10R 5(2B) 5HR 15RBI 6BB .386 AVG .442 OBP#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/pYWWBOw0to
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) August 28, 2024
Those 12 games have been divided between Double-A and Triple-A, but there is no disputing the fact he is mashing at the moment.
He has opened his Triple-A career with a robust .316/.409/.684 line in five games, posting an elite 175 wRC+ in the short sample.
After what he did in spring training, his name was in consideration to make the team out of camp.
He didn’t and then got injured, though.
Now he is healthy and showing why he should be called up to help Cleveland regain control of the division.
The alternatives are all slumping badly, as the numbers show.
NEXT: Guardians Lose Again As Royals Catch Them At The Top Of The Central
