The Cleveland Guardians have a 1-1 spring record already, but the action continues on Monday.
They will take the field against the San Diego Padres, looking for their second victory of the spring season.
To do that, they will field something close to their best lineup.
Good morning. Say it back.#GuardsSpring pic.twitter.com/p5XH5JyoXf
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) February 26, 2024
There are a few key absences in the lineup, the most obvious one being Jose Ramirez.
Also resting are Brayan Rocchio, Estevan Florial, Kyle Manzardo, and Will Brennan, among others.
All of them but Rocchio played on Sunday, plus potential starter Deyvison De Los Santos and top prospect Chase DeLauter.
Still, the lineup that Cleveland is fielding on Monday afternoon in Arizona is as close as it gets to what they will probably show on Opening Day against the Oakland Athletics on March 28.
All eyes will be on the Guardians’ lineup this season after they finished 2023 as one of the worst units in MLB.
Ramirez, Josh and Bo Naylor, Steven Kwan, and Andres Gimenez are expected to be the best performers on a team that also has many high-variance players.
The Guards have several hitters with a somewhat broad range of outcomes: they could struggle, but they are also capable of breaking out.
Some of these are Rocchio, Manzardo, Johnathan Rodriguez, Florial, Tyler Freeman, Gabriel Arias, Juan Brito, DeLauter, De Los Santos, and more.
You could say that the key to the Guardians’ season rests on how many of those batters can take a step forward and reach the next level.
The hope is that at least some of them become valuable, reliable contributors.
NEXT: Guardians Make A Bold Jose Ramirez Claim
