If there is one thing that’s certain in Major League Baseball, it’s that there is always uncertainty. A player can look to be stuck in the minors, and then one unexpected injury can provide a lifeline with a second chance.
The Cleveland Guardians find themselves in that situation with third baseman Jose Ramirez potentially out for 5-7 weeks after breaking the hamate bone in his left wrist. To replace him, the Guardians are recalling Gabriel Arias, who lost his job as the starting shortstop after being put on the injured list with a hamstring issue in early April.
Arias will not keep Ramirez from regaining his starting job, but insider Jason Lloyd is highlighting the big opportunity ahead for the 26-year-old infielder, who has a chance to get his MLB career back on track.
“I know nobody wants to hear this, and I was out on him as well, but Gabby Arias is back, guys. How many times have we written him off? He very well could be just a 4-A player. He could be one of those guys that lights up Columbus and struggles in Cleveland, but we were saying the same thing about Brayan Rocchio two months ago. Arias is gonna have one more extended run here at third base to see what he can do. The Guardians need a right-handed bat. They’re very left-handed-dominant with [Kyle] Manzardo, [Steven] Kwan, [Chase] DeLauter, and [Travis] Bazzana, so they could use a righty bat. If something clicks for him as it had for Rocchio, that’s only going to help him going forward. I don’t think Arias is the long-term answer anywhere, but here’s one last-gasp chance for him to prove if he can be a contributor on this team or not,” Lloyd said.
The injury to Jose Ramirez opens the door for Gabriel Arias once again 👀⚾@ByJasonLloyd says this is another opportunity for the #Guardians infielder to show what he can bring to the big-league club 🔥https://t.co/eSBEotrl46 pic.twitter.com/6LilQdAbpf
— Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show (@ultCLEsports) June 15, 2026
The Guardians ended last season with Arias at shortstop and Brayan Rocchio at second base, and they opened this year with the same double play combination, despite having top prospects such as Bazzana waiting in the wings. Neither Arias nor Rocchio was known for his offense, which meant the Guardians could make a move at any time to improve in that area.
A change came much sooner than anyone expected, with Arias injuring his left hamstring on April 6. Rocchio was moved to shortstop, and rookie Juan Brito was called up to play second base. Brito struggled following a good start, so Bazzana was summoned and made his MLB debut on April 28.
After coming off the 60-day IL, Arias had a good stretch of games at Triple-A, with five hits in 15 at-bats, including three home runs. He has played 51 games at third base in his five MLB seasons, and he is likely to split time there with Daniel Schneemann until Ramirez can return.
With Rocchio making an All-Star case with a career-best year at the plate, and Bazzana emerging as a potential Rookie of the Year candidate, Arias is unlikely to displace either of them, but as the Guardians unfortunately learned, anything can happen from one day to the next.
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