Guardians’ Most Unexpected Player Turned Heads On Saturday

The Cleveland Guardians were counting on Bo Naylor to take the next step offensively in 2026, but he has been one of the worst hitters in baseball and has seen his spot in the order drop and his playing time diminish. Naylor has a .398 OPS in his 73 at bats, which has pushed manager Stephen Vogt to give backup catcher Austin Hedges more and more time behind the dish.

Hedges has made the most of it. He has stuck around for over a decade in the league almost exclusively due to his glove, but he has been hitting better than he ever has thus far in 2026.

Hedges had one of the best games of his career on Saturday with two doubles and a homer in Cleveland’s 14-6 romp over the Athletics. Mason Horodyski of WEWS shared a quote from Hedges after the game, and he couldn’t even remember his last 3-hit game.

“#Guardians Austin Hedges had his 1st 3-hit game since 2019 today vs the A’s. Afterwards, he was asked if he remembers that game: ‘I do not remember my last 3 hit game. I don’t even know if I have one.’ Someone pointed out he has 9. ‘I have 9?! Dude, I’m nasty,'” said Hedges.

#Guardians Austin Hedges had his 1st 3-hit game since 2019 today vs the A's. Afterwards, he was asked if he remebers that game:

"I do not remember my last 3 hit game. I don't even know if I have one"

Someone pointed out he has 9

"I have 9?! Dude, I'm nasty"#GuardsBall @WEWS https://t.co/oAZhM3dKCw

— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) May 2, 2026

Hedges’ monster day brought his batting average up to a scintillating .325 and upped his OPS to .864, which is over .300 points higher than his career OPS. Hedges had 25 hits all of last year and hit just .161, and he already has more than half that total through just 14 games. He has even surpassed his total of three doubles from each of the past two years already.

It’s highly unlikely that Hedges will rake like this all year, but it would be quite fun if he did. Hopefully, if and when he starts to cool off, Naylor can get his bat going.

Hedges’ hot start has been perfectly timed to overlap with Naylor’s ice cold start, and Vogt is doing the right thing by simply feeding the hot hand. It’s exciting to see him find his stroke at the plate, and if Hedges can continue hitting even .250 or so, he’s one of the best catchers in baseball due to his defense.