Much like the entire Cleveland Guardians roster, catcher Bo Naylor had a September to remember in 2025. The team completed a stunning comeback in the standings to take the division away from the Detroit Tigers, and Naylor, of course, had a lot to do with that.
The talented, yet inconsistent catcher hit .290 in the last month of the 2025 regular season, with seven doubles, three home runs, 10 runs scored, 16 RBI, and an excellent 136 wRC+.
It was almost enough production to forget about the fact that he was decidedly mediocre last year as a whole, so much so that he finished with a well-below-average 85 wRC+ and a batting average under the Mendoza line. That September performance, however, made people believe a breakout was coming in 2026.
Well, that might still be the case, but the early results are far from promising. Even after logging two hits on Wednesday night, Naylor is hitting .158 and boasts a 6 wRC+. He is also striking out 30 percent of the time.
To say that Naylor has been struggling would be an understatement. He has been making Austin Hedges, an offensively-challenged catcher, look like Mike Piazza next to him. To be fair, Hedges has barely played, but still: Naylor hadn’t been playing well before Wednesday.
The season is still very young, so we shouldn’t jump to conclusions after just a week of play. But Naylor needs to improve for the bottom of the Guardians lineup not to gift so many outs per game.
Wednesday’s multi-hit effort, his first of the season, is certainly a step in the right direction. He now needs to do it more often.
If he doesn’t get hot soon, the organization will have no choice but to start seriously considering giving some other players a chance behind the plate. Hedges’ playing time could increase, and former All-Star David Fry could start eating into Naylor’s playing time if he returns to 2024 form.
Cooper Ingle and Jacob Cozart are both top 20 organizational prospects with a bright future behind the plate. The former has already reached Triple-A, while the latter has seen playing time at Double-A. Ingle could start pushing Naylor in a few months.
Cleveland is likely to give Naylor a long leash, but he has to start showing sustained success at some point.
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