With reliever Hunter Gaddis and outfielder George Valera starting the season on the injured list, and a few spring training battles reaching their conclusion, the Cleveland Guardians have a pretty good idea of what their Opening Day roster is going to look like.
Basically, there were a couple of openings in the outfield and another one in the bullpen. On Tuesday, Guardians insider Zack Meisel reported that three players who were still competing for a spot will break camp with the squad.
“CJ Kayfus, Angel Martínez, and Colin Holderman have all made the Guardians’ Opening Day roster, barring any final external transactions,” The Athletic’s Zack Meisel posted on X.
CJ Kayfus, Angel Martínez and Colin Holderman have all made the Guardians' Opening Day roster, barring any final external transactions.
Here's the tentative roster: pic.twitter.com/iw0GkAoxnE
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) March 24, 2026
Other teams find themselves in the uncomfortable position of making necessary cuts ahead of finalizing their roster, so talented players become available around this time of the year. The Guardians, however, intend to include Kayfus, Martinez, and Holderman on their flight to Seattle for the season opener vs. the Mariners on Thursday.
Meisel also posted a picture with the expected Guardians’ roster. To reach the final tally of 26, manager Stephen Vogt and president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti have had to leave behind some important names, such as starter Logan Allen, relievers Codi Heuer and Trevor Stephan, infielders Travis Bazzana and Juan Brito, and outfielders Nolan Jones, Petey Halpin, Khalil Watson, and Stuart Fairchild.
Including Martinez was a no-brainer because he can play some infield positions in addition to the outfield and hit against left-handed pitchers, and the same can’t be said about most of the Guardians’ roster. Also, Valera’s calf injury opened up a spot to Kayfus, who owned a 145 wRC+ last September during Cleveland’s furious comeback and had a 110 mark in the Cactus League this year.
Kayfus remains a highly talented young hitter who could thrive if he receives enough playing time. As for Fairchild, he will start the season in Triple-A, but his ability to hit southpaws plus his defensive versatility might give him a fair chance to secure some playing time later in the season.
Holderman didn’t have a particularly productive spring, with a 9.00 ERA in nine innings, but he struck out 10 and boasts a solid 4.13 career ERA. That’s the number to focus on, not his 7.01 ERA from last year in an injury-riddled campaign.
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