The Cleveland Guardians need all the offense they can get at the moment.
They have decided to look within their own organization for help.
Initially, before Opening Day, they had decided to leave utilityman Angel Martinez in Triple-A to get some much-needed at-bats and bring Johnathan Rodriguez along with them on the roster.
J-Rod is a promising slugger, but he only got five at-bats to this point, and his defensive contributions are limited to the outfield corners.
That’s why the Guardians, taking advantage of the fact Martinez is currently producing in Triple-A, have decided to call him up and send down Rodriguez.
“The Guardians recalled Angel Martínez from Triple-A Columbus and optioned Johnathan Rodriguez,” Tim Stebbins, who covers the team on a daily basis for MLB.com, posted on X.
The Guardians recalled Angel Martínez from Triple-A Columbus and optioned Johnathan Rodriguez.
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) April 9, 2025
Rodriguez doesn’t really have anything left to prove in Triple-A: he put up a 140 wRC+ last year there, with 29 home runs and 94 RBI.
But the Guards don’t have any room for him in their outfield or DH mix.
Martinez, on the other hand, is capable of playing three infield positions and all the outfield spots.
He offers much more versatility, even if his power potential doesn’t come close to that of Rodriguez.
Martinez also brings a hot bat to Cleveland with him.
He is hitting .344 with a .531 slugging percentage, seven runs scored, eight RBI, and a whopping six doubles in just eight games with Columbus.
Martinez has an underrated hit tool that can earn him MLB playing time if given the opportunity.
He will have to earn it, but he is back on the MLB roster and that’s a nice first step.
NEXT: Guardians Slugger Could Be On The Verge Of Breaking Out
