After struggling offensively in the majors for over a year, the Cleveland Guardians made the tough but necessary decision of sending shortstop Brayan Rocchio to Triple-A Columbus on May 12.
The writing was on the wall due to his well below-average offensive play.
He was hitting a putrid .165/.235/.198 in 102 plate appearances for the Guards before being sent down.
Rocchio is a strong defender at the infield’s most important position, but his bat hasn’t made the transition to the majors.
Hitting in the minor leagues, however, has not been a problem for the talented, yet inconsistent infielder.
He had another big game on Thursday and his stats in Columbus look fantastic.
“Cleveland Guardians 24yr-old switch-hitting (SS) Brayan Rocchio collected a pair of hits tonight (2-5, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI) for Columbus including his 3rd HR, a 378-foot 2-run shot that came off the bat at 105.4 mph. Rocchio now has 8 XBH to go along with a .858 OPS over 15 games with the Clippers,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.
Cleveland #Guardians 24yr old switch-hitting (SS) Brayan Rocchio collected a pair of hits tonight (2-5 2R HR 2RBI) for Columbus including his 3rd HR a 378 foot 2-run shot that came off the bat at 105.4 mph.
Rocchio now has 8 XBH to go along with an .858 OPS over 15 games with… pic.twitter.com/R90R7KeSbW
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) May 30, 2025
His .858 OPS since being demoted is nice and keeps him in contention to be called back up eventually, should a need arise.
However, it’s baffling to see him struggle at every MLB opportunity he has gotten.
One would think a player capable of posting a minor league OPS in the .800 or even in the high .700s can yield something better than a career .582 OPS in the majors.
This goes to show that hitting in MLB is extremely difficult.
Rocchio is still young, and perhaps he can find the recipe for success in the majors.
As long as he keeps producing in Triple-A, he will get additional chances in the future.
NEXT: Bruce Drennan Can't Wait For 1 Guardians Pitcher To Return
