A backup catcher rarely becomes a fan favorite on a baseball team, but Austin Hedges isn’t your typical backup catcher. The Cleveland Guardians veteran has been as far from an offensive force as one could be during his career, but he has brought a lot of worthy attention to the other parts of the game.
That has changed considerably this season, as the lifetime sub-.200 hitter took a .300 batting average into May. Though Hedges has cooled off this month, he is still having the best season at the plate of his career.
The timing worked out perfectly, as Guardians fans were willing to wait in long lines for the player’s jersey giveaway on Saturday, before the game against the Boston Red Sox.
“Gates are now open and lines are long here at Progressive Field for Austin Hedges jersey giveaway day,” Mason Horodyski posted.
Gates are now open and lines are long here at Progressive Field for Austin Hedges jersey giveaway day #Guardians x #GuardsBall x @WEWS pic.twitter.com/xTtxRCtnWI
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) May 30, 2026
Entering this season, Hedges was expected to continue in his typical role as the backup catcher to Bo Naylor. Big things were being expected from his teammate, who had an offensive breakthrough at the plate late in the 2025 campaign.
Hedges was also in danger of losing playing time to David Fry, who was able to serve as the third catcher after being limited to DH duties last season while recovering from elbow surgery. However, things changed as Naylor was in a terrible slump that he could not break out of, while Hedges was hitting better than he ever had.
The Guardians wound up acquiring catcher Patrick Bailey, another defensive specialist, in a trade with the San Francisco Giants. Naylor was then sent down to the minor leagues to work on his game, and he has just started playing for Columbus as he tries to make it back to the majors.
Unfortunately, in getting some more playing time, Hedges has encountered a lengthy slump of his own. Entering his giveaway day, he is 1-for-22 since May 8.
Yet, that has not done anything to dampen the enthusiasm of fans who showed up hours before first pitch to get their hands on a Hedges jersey that they will wear proudly for the rest of the season.
NEXT: Slade Cecconi Has 'Elite' Praise For Guardians' Closer
