Cleveland Guardians outfielder Jhonkensy Noel faced a foe he knows very well on Tuesday: the New York Yankees.
He hit the most important home run of his career against them last year, to tie Game 3 of the AL Championship Series in the ninth inning and send it to extras.
Unfortunately for Noel, his current reality is not nearly as encouraging now as it was back then.
Simply put, Noel is clinging to a roster spot at this point.
After going 0-for-2 with two strikeouts against the Yankees on Tuesday, he is now hitting a putrid .146/.170/.229 for the season.
That’s “good” for a .399 OPS.
As Guardians of the Land points out, a trip to Columbus to find his hitting stroke again wouldn’t hurt, and his batting profile shows you everything you need to know.
Jhonkensy Noel needs to go to Columbus to reset and see if he can find his swing again. pic.twitter.com/6QbPUpHUjB
— Guardians of The Land (@OurCLEGuardians) June 4, 2025
Noel doesn’t have enough at-bats to qualify for most leaderboards, but you can see in the graphic that the only stat in which he would be above the league average is in the bat speed department.
This goes to show that the raw talent is there: Noel’s bat speed is higher than many of the game’s current stars, and if he can put it all together, his power potential is undeniable.
The problem is that he doesn’t make contact consistently, and his free-swinging ways result in many strikeouts, precious few walks, and less-than-ideal contact.
Maybe a demotion to Columbus will help him regain his focus, come up with a plan for at-bats, and stick to it so he doesn’t look as overmatched as he is looking at the moment.
It will take work, but Noel can get his career back on track.
He just doesn’t belong in Cleveland right now, though.
NEXT: Stats Reveal Encouraging Trend For Jose Ramirez Against Yankees
