The Cleveland Guardians recently lost one of their key contributors.
They placed shortstop Gabriel Arias on the 10-day injured list with a left ankle sprain.
In a corresponding move, they recalled Brayan Rocchio from Triple-A Columbus.
If there’s a silver lining, it is that Rocchio may have gotten his groove back.
At least, that’s what he told manager Stephen Vogt.
“The biggest thing for me is that Brayan walked in (my office) and said, ‘I’ve got my confidence back.’ Just before he went to Columbus, Brayan wasn’t himself. He wasn’t playing with the carefree confidence that he has. He’s been doing a lot of good things in Columbus,” Vogt said.
Rocchio was in the lineup at shortstop and batted ninth in the series opener against the Chicago Cubs.
He started the season with the Guardians but was sent down in early May after struggling at the plate.
He was hitting .165 with eight RBIs in 35 games.
Those numbers went up to .252, 30 RBIs and seven home runs at Triple-A.
Arias had to be carted off the field in a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
He’s hitting .231 with 31 RBIs and six home runs in 77 games and was establishing himself as a starter.
Rocchio is 24 years old and has some upside, but given how much the Guardians have struggled to get anything going at the plate, he’s likely to be on a short leash.
If he doesn’t show that he’s truly back, he won’t get many more opportunities this season.
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