The Cleveland Guardians kept it rolling on Friday with a series-opening 4-3 win over the Boston Red Sox thanks to a big four-run first inning and a strong performance by the bullpen. The win moved the Guardians to 34-25 and helped maintain a three-game lead atop the AL Central.
The Guardians were able to win Friday’s game without Steven Kwan, who is out after being placed on the bereavement/family medical emergency list. In order to fill his spot on the roster, the Guardians transferred Gabriel Arias to the 60-day IL to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for the newest Guardian.
To fill in for Kwan, the Guardians are bringing up outfielder Stuart Fairchild from Triple-A Columbus. MLB Jersey Numbers also shared on X that he will wear No. 17, which was last worn by fellow outfielder Will Brennan in 2025.
OF Stuart Fairchild will wear number 17. Last worn by OF Will Brennan in 2025. #Guardians pic.twitter.com/gNPaNaEB7z
— MLB Jersey Numbers (@NumbersMLB) May 29, 2026
Fairchild last appeared in the majors last season when he played 28 games with the Atlanta Braves. He has a .689 career OPS for five different teams over his five-year career and has taken his offense up a notch in the minors this year with a .289/.417/.479 slash line.
He is a glove-first outfielder and is a solid hitter against lefties, which is something this team could certainly use. Cleveland’s outfield skews heavily left-handed, which is likely why Fairchild is getting a look over some of Cleveland’s other potential call-ups.
Cleveland signed him to a one-year deal over the winter and the 30-year-old could have another level of production to tap into if a team is willing to give him another extended look. He’s likely only a stopgap solution in Cleveland, but you never know what the future holds.
It’s unclear how long Kwan will be out, but Fairchild has a legitimate opportunity in front of him. It likely surprised some fans to hear that he was the one getting called up, but he has raked in Triple-A and has a fairly similar archetype to Kwan to make the transition fairly seamless. Fairchild is also out of options, so the likelihood of him getting designated for assignment upon Kwan’s return is high, and if that does happen, hopefully he’ll have shown enough to stick in the majors whether that’s in Cleveland or elsewhere.
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