Cleveland Guardians infield prospect Juan Brito was in a competition prior to this season to win the starting second baseman job, and though he fell short, there was plenty of reason to believe he would surface in the big leagues at some point during the 2025 season.
That hasn’t been the case, as Brito missed about two months after tearing a ligament in his thumb that required surgery on April 17th while playing for Triple-A Columbus, before returning and eventually suffering a hamstring injury that has kept him out of action since early July.
Cleveland.com’s Joe Noga wrote on Friday that Brito has suffered an unfortunate setback while rehabbing his hamstring and underwent surgery to combat the issue, which will likely keep him on the shelf for another 8-12 weeks.
“While progressing through the end stages of a return-to-play progression, Brito experienced a mild recurrence in symptoms in the hamstring that limited his strength and speed. After follow-up exams by team physicians, doctors excised the affected tendon and scar tissue during a short procedure at Cleveland Clinic. Drs. Joe Scarcella and Mark Schickendantz performed the procedure Wednesday. Brito is expected to make a full recovery and will be unrestricted in 8-12 weeks, according to the club,” Noga wrote.
It has been a completely lost season for Brito, who turns 24 in a few weeks, and he’ll wrap up his minor league campaign with a .792 OPS across just 31 games.
Brito has played well during every stop he has made in the minors, and it’s unfortunate to see his progression hit a roadblock like this, but the bright side is that the surgery should fully fix the issue and put him in a position to compete for a starting role on the Guardians next Spring Training once again.
Cleveland needs offense in the worst way, and if Brito can replicate the .831 OPS he has delivered throughout his minor-league career with the big-league club, he’ll have a spot on this team for a long time.
NEXT: Stats Show How Dominant Guardians' Pitchers Have Been In Last 12 Games
