The Cleveland Guardians have been mostly decent this season.
Their starting rotation has started to take off, and the bullpen has been almost as good as expected.
Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana, and Steven Kwan have provided the team with a much-needed offensive punch, but they’re not getting a lot from everybody else.
That’s why, with DH David Fry set to return sooner rather than later, sports analyst Bruce Drennan has two candidates to be the odd men out.
In the latest edition of his show, he urged the team to move on from Nolan Jones and Jhonkensy Noel, both of whom have struggled to get any sort of momentum at the plate this season:
“Obviously, [Jhonkensy] Noel and Nolan Jones have got to go,” Drennan said as David Fry is set to return to the lineup. “The experiment, I loved it, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t work. It seems like this time, it’s not working, and something’s got to give. I went through those batting averages in our first segment, and you just can’t win unless you’re able to score runs and get hits.”
Will we still see Jhonkensy Noel and Nolan Jones in the lineup with Lane Thomas back and David Fry coming back soon? #Guardsball
"I went through those batting averages in our first segment and you just can't win unlesss you're able to score runs and get hits." pic.twitter.com/D3RAdWccdu
— Bruce Drennan Show (@Bruce_Drennan) May 25, 2025
Jones has been a non-factor so far this year, and with Lane Thomas also set to be back at some point, the writing is on the wall for him to be out of the lineup.
As for Noel, the upside was most definitely there, and he was worth the gamble and the extended look, but he has failed to make the most of his extended opportunities.
Fry won’t be able to play the field as he recovers from offseason surgery, but he should give this team a big boost at the plate, especially against left-handed pitching.
The Guardians are riding strong momentum after winning five of their last six games and narrowing the gap with the Detroit Tigers atop the AL Central, and they can’t afford to keep wasting scoring chances because of their outfielders’ season-long slump.
NEXT: Jose Ramirez Ties Career-High With Hitting Streak
