The Cleveland Guardians are enjoying several breakout performances on offense. Angel Martinez, Daniel Schneemann, Chase DeLauter, and several others are having success so far, elevating the organization’s ceiling.
The problem, however, is that some steady, reliable veterans are slumping, thus pushing that ceiling down. One of them is Steven Kwan, who entered Saturday’s game with a 67 wRC+, a .201 batting average, and a .308 OBP.
The mediocre performance to this point forced manager Stephen Vogt to make a tough decision: for the first time in 2026, Kwan made a start batting in a spot other than the first one in the lineup. He hit sixth, with Daniel Schneemann leading off.
The skipper wanted to take some pressure off Kwan, who has been heavily criticized in recent days. The former All-Star and Gold Glove winner was sporting a career-high walk rate at 12.3 percent before Saturday, but is having his worst season yet anyway.
The organization seems to believe he is being too passive at the plate at times. As a result, they recommended Kwan to take an entirely different approach.
“The Guardians talked with Steven Kwan about being more aggressive early in counts amid his early-season struggles. He went after a high 0-1 fastball in his first AB tonight and lined it to left field for a base hit,” Tim Stebbins of MLB.com wrote.
The Guardians talked with Steven Kwan about being more aggressive early in counts amid his early season struggles. He went after a high 0-1 fastball in his first AB tonight and lined it to left field for a base hit.https://t.co/sHzgLOIbmI
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) May 16, 2026
Hitting from that sixth spot, Kwan went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored. He looked much better, even though he also struck out once.
Kwan will need many more of these games if he wants to eventually return to the leadoff spot, but the first couple of things on his list of priorities should be showing more aggressiveness early in the count and hitting line drives regardless of his position in the lineup.
No one knows if Vogt will return him to his usual spot on Sunday, or if he will remain hitting in the bottom half for the foreseeable future. The most important thing for him is regaining his mojo and his confidence at the plate. Saturday represented an important first step.
Kwan might be struggling right now, but make no mistake: he’s no slouch. He boasts a career 109 wRC+, so this strategic change might be what he needs to unlock his potential.
NEXT: Angel Martinez's Big Home Run Carries Guardians To Victory Over Reds
