The Cleveland Guardians are taking things slowly with their top prospect.
To that end, Travis Bazzana won’t participate in the Arizona Fall League.
According to insider Paul Hoynes, the Australian infielder will go back home.
“Travis Bazzana will not play in the Arizona Fall League after the Triple-A season. He’ll return to Australia for the first half of the offseason,” Hoynes wrote on X.
Travis Bazzana will not play in the Arizona Fall League after the Triple-A season. He'll return to Australia for the first half of the offseason. Daniel Espino, who has thrown 18 1/3 minor league innings in the last four seasons, is going to the AFL.
— paul hoynes (@hoynsie) September 10, 2025
The Guardians will send eight minor leaguers to the AFL, including pitcher Daniel Espino and outfielder Chase DeLauter.
Espino has struggled to establish himself since he was a first-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft.
He’s been able to pitch just 18.1 innings in the past four seasons, but he’s been working out with Triple-A Columbus Clippers for a while now.
DeLauter, on the other hand, will make his third AFL appearance in as many years.
The first-round pick from the 2022 MLB Draft is recovering from hand surgery, so he reportedly will play a limited schedule of about two games per week.
The fact that he’s included is encouraging news about his recovery, especially given his injury history.
Pitchers Trenton Denholm, Matt Jachec, Rorik Maltrud and Zane Morehouse will join Espino, with infielder Juan Benjamin and outfielder Wuilfredo Antunez rounding out the list.
As for Bazzana, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft had a strong season in the minors, but he missed a big part of the campaign with an oblique injury.
That prevented him from being called up to the majors, which looked like a strong possibility before the start of the season.
Now, he’s a candidate to make his MLB debut at some point in 2026.
NEXT: Latest Odds Show Crushing Blow To Guardians’ Playoff Hopes
