The Cleveland Guardians and the majority of teams will carry 13 pitchers and 13 position players on their Opening Day roster. We have a good idea about which players will take up most of the available spots, but there is always room for surprises with the Guards.
You don’t have to be an expert to know that Jose Ramirez, Steven Kwan, Kyle Manzardo, Brayan Rocchio, and Bo Naylor will be among the 26 Guardians facing the Seattle Mariners on March 26.
Those are, according to Guardians Prospective, the ‘locks’ to make the roster. He also shared his list of “near locks”, comprised of Chase DeLauter, Angel Martinez, Daniel Schneemann, Austin Hedges, David Fry, and Gabriel Arias.
The analyst then listed four players who will likely be fighting for one last spot, provided that Rhys Hoskins, a sneaky good minor league signing, makes the roster. These are Juan Brito, George Valera, CJ Kayfus, and Nolan Jones.
He then shared a painful truth: if Hoskins makes it, that could mean bad news for Kayfus.
“(The) player that might be affected the most by Hoskins is CJ Kayfus,” he said on X.
If Rhys Hoskins (1B/DH) makes the #Guardians Opening Day roster who gets left off?
Locks:
Jose Ramirez (3B)
Steven Kwan (CF/LF)
Kyle Manzardo (1B/DH)
Brayan Rocchio (SS/2B)
Bo Naylor (C)Near Locks:
Chase DeLauter (RF/CF)
Angel Martinez (LF/CF)
Daniel Schneemann (UTL)
Austin…— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) March 12, 2026
At this point, it’s fair to assume Hoskins is going to be in, as he gives Cleveland some power and a history of production against left-handed hitters. The Guardians got a career 121 wRC+ hitter on the cheap, and they should carry him with them.
If Brito, Valera, Kayfus, and Jones will indeed fight for a spot, Valera should be a shoo-in. He had a 113 wRC+ in a short MLB cameo last year and has power and patience. There is a good chance he is the Guardians’ starting left fielder come Opening Day.
However, some of the names on the ‘near locks’ list could be closer to the last tier than the first one, meaning that they still have to earn their place on the roster.
Martinez and Schneemann, for example, aren’t a sure thing to be included in the final list, particularly the latter. Jones appears to be playing his way off the roster, but Brito and Kayfus are still in contention, as is Schneemann, of course, thanks to his versatility.
Kayfus had a 145 wRC+ during the Guardians’ September run last year. It’s hard to forget about that.
In any case, the race to make the Guardians is still on. Some of these names will inevitably be left behind, but that’s baseball.
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