For quite a while, it looked like Travis Bazzana was going to take Brayan Rocchio’s job with the Cleveland Guardians. That could have made for a very difficult dynamic between the two young infielders.
Instead, they are looking like the team’s double play combination of the near future, at the very least. Rocchio is now Cleveland’s starting shortstop, and Bazzana is two weeks into his MLB career following his inevitable promotion as the No. 1 overall pick from the 2024 draft.
Rocchio recently revealed how he’s helping the top Guardians rookie, embracing the leadership role that his new position demands.
“He’s doing great. I like to play with him. He works hard. I’m just trying to help him to be the best in the infield. I’m trying to be the leader. Like Jose [Ramirez] told me, every time you’re the shortstop, you’re the leader. That’s what I’m trying to do with Bazzana and help him to feel comfortable and help us win games,” Rocchio said.
“I'm just trying to help him to be the best in the infield. I'm trying to be the leader. Like José told me, every time you’re the short stop, you're the leader.”#Guardians Brayan Rocchio on the defensive chemistry he’s developing with Travis Bazzana#GuardsBall x @WEWS pic.twitter.com/WvEoPP3jxB
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) May 12, 2026
Entering spring training, there seemed to be a very good chance that Bazzana would be the Guardians’ starting second baseman in 2026, a role that was manned by Rocchio for most of last season. The organization decided to have Bazzana open the season in the minors, and Cleveland began the season as it ended in 2025, with Rocchio at second base and Gabriel Arias at shortstop.
Arias wound up on the injured list, which forced Rocchio to take a change in positions. But instead of calling up Bazzana to play second base, the Guardians promoted fellow rookie Juan Brito instead. He got off to a hot start, then fell off considerably, opening the door for Bazzana to make his MLB debut on April 28 as the Guardians’ second baseman.
He also got off to a slow start, needing 13 at-bats before getting his first hit. Bazzana has picked it up since then, with at least one hit in seven of his past nine games and seven stolen bases.
That was to be expected, but what the Guardians are getting from Rocchio on offense was not. After batting under .250 and never having a single-season OPS above .700 in his first three years, the 25-year-old is currently hitting .277 with a .737 OPS. Despite batting ninth most of the time, he is second on the team with 21 RBIs, four behind Chase DeLauter.
That offensive production may force the Guardians to revisit whatever their potential middle infield plans may have been, as they look to have landed on a very effective duo.
NEXT: Travis Bazzana Did Something You Almost Never See In Baseball
