The Cleveland Guardians made a handful of roster decisions on Friday, and one of them could pay off in 2027. Along with declining options on relievers Shawn Armstrong and Trevor Stephan, the club selected the contract of Milan Tolentino from Triple-A Columbus. The twenty four year old has been one of the most productive power bats in the system over the last two seasons. He has also become one of the most flexible players in the organization, which makes him an intriguing option for Stephen Vogt next year. Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com noted that Tolentino “played all over the diamond” for the Clippers this season.
“The Guardians promoted power-hitter Milan Tolentino to the 40-man roster. Over the last two years, the left-handed hitting Tolentino has hit 42 homers with 140 RBI. He’s also struck out 315 times. Tolentino had 50 extra base hits at Columbus this season, including 21 homers. He played all over the diamond, starting 67 games at shortstop, 35 games at third base, 18 games at second base, two in left field and two in right field. He just started playing the outfield this year,” Hoynes wrote.
Tolentino made 67 starts at shortstop in 2026, plus 35 at third base and 18 at second base. He also got the first outfield starts of his career, two in left field and two in right field. That range is valuable to a team like Cleveland, which leans on its bench and moves players around constantly.
The bat is what earned him the promotion. Tolentino hit .225 with a .781 OPS, 21 home runs, 74 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 129 games for Columbus. He collected 50 extra-base hits, including 25 doubles and four triples. It was his second straight season with at least 20 homers and 20 steals for the Clippers, after he became the first player in club history to reach both marks in 2025. Over the past two years, he has 42 home runs and 140 RBIs.
There is a tradeoff. Tolentino has struck out 315 times over those two seasons, including 157 times this year, and his batting average at Triple-A has stayed in the low .200s. He does draw walks, with 65 in 2026, which offsets some of the swing and miss. He also showed what he can do this spring, when he made plenty of noise in big league camp before being sent back to Columbus.
Cleveland drafted Tolentino in the fourth round in 2020 out of Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Southern California. He has moved through the system one level at a time, with stops at Lynchburg, Lake County and Akron before he reached Columbus in 2025. He has also played winter ball in Mexico and was a non-roster invitee to big league camp each of the last two springs.
Baseball runs in the family. His father, Jose Tolentino, played fifteen years of professional baseball, including a stint with the Houston Astros in 1991, and later coached Mexico’s national team on the international stage.
The timing of the move suggests the Guardians wanted to keep Tolentino from reaching minor league free agency this winter. Cleveland ranked 27th in baseball in home runs this season, so a left-handed hitter with real power who can play four or five positions is worth keeping around.
Tolentino will need to cut down on the strikeouts to stick in the majors. For now, he has a spot on the 40-man roster, and his power and versatility give him a real shot at making his MLB debut in 2027.
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