The Cleveland Guardians have been without second base prospect Travis Bazzana since May 20, when he was diagnosed with a high-grade oblique strain and given an 8-12-week recovery timeline.
He was enjoying a solid season in Double-A in his first exposure to upper-minors pitching.
After a long rehab process, Bazzana is finally at a point where he can return to games.
“Guardians No. 1 prospect Travis Bazzana (oblique) is set to begin a rehab stint Saturday in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League! 2024’s first overall pick has 32 hits and a .795 OPS in 33 Double-A games this season,” MLB Pipeline posted on X.
#Guardians No. 1 prospect Travis Bazzana (oblique) is set to begin a rehab stint Saturday in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League!
2024's first overall pick has 32 hits and a .795 OPS in 33 Double-A games this season: https://t.co/PjifZuIfBR pic.twitter.com/cL4vvZm3Nr
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 4, 2025
Bazzana, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, is the future face of the franchise and could potentially be part of the solution for the current offensive woes of the big league team.
To do that, however, he must return to Double-A after a few games in the ACL.
Some say he was already flirting with a promotion to Triple-A at the time of his injury.
He will need to find his footing again in the Complex League and then confirm his dominance in Double-A before the organization can even think about bumping him up to Triple-A.
The Guardians don’t want to rush Bazzana, but they also need him if he shows he is ready to handle MLB pitching at some point.
It’s a delicate situation, and they have to handle it with extreme care.
For now, they should be happy to see their exciting prospect back in action.
NEXT: Guardians Starter Sends Optimistic Message Amid Brutal Skid
