The Cleveland Guardians have been without starting center fielder Lane Thomas since he was placed on the injured list on April 22.
He is nursing a bone bruise in his right wrist, suffered after being hit by a pitch on April 8th.
This week, it was revealed that Thomas started his swing progression with an eye on a return.
It gets better: Guardians manager Stephen Vogt offered a new update on the player on Friday, and it’s encouraging.
“Cleveland OF Lane Thomas (wrist) is “pain-free” and he is currently working on building back strength according to manager Stephen Vogt. He should begin a rehab assignment next week,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.
Cleveland #Guardians OF Lane Thomas (Wrist) is "pain free" and he is currently working on building back strength according to manager Stephen Vogt. He should begin a rehab assignment next week.
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) May 9, 2025
That’s excellent news for a Guardians team that needs the depth, even though things are going fine without Thomas.
That doesn’t mean he isn’t needed, though, and he will be able to start his rehab next week if there aren’t any setbacks or unexpected circumstances.
The 2024 playoffs hero will be a free agent after the season, so he has all the motivation in the world to come back and put up the best possible stats.
Before going down a couple of weeks ago, he was struggling a bit at the plate, probably affected by the wrist ailment.
In 13 games and 48 plate appearances for the Guards, he hit a meager .156/.188/.178 with a 1 wRC+.
That’s right, 1 as in one.
We all know a healthy Thomas is capable of being a slightly above-average hitter and runner, but it remains to be seen if the wrist injury will affect his power when he returns to play.
For now, all that matters is that he inching closer to a return.
NEXT: 2 Former Guardians Stars Throw First Pitch Ahead Of Friday's Game
