The Cleveland Guardians have more than a few problematic positions in their lineup when it comes to offensive production.
Shortstop Gabriel Arias is not producing, right field has been a black hole all year, and Cleveland’s catchers rank 26th in wRC+ with a woeful 72 mark.
With this in mind, they are trying to reintegrate young infielder Juan Brito into the thick of things after a lengthy injury absence.
The young prospect, who usually plays second base, started at right field last night in the Arizona Complex League.
“Juan Brito is playing right field tonight in his rehab game in Arizona. (Brito also played some RF in Columbus last year as well)”, Guardians writer Justin Lada posted on X.
Juan Brito playing right field tonight in his rehab game in Arizona.
(Brito also played some RF in Columbus last year as well.)
— Justin L. (jlbaseball on bluesky) (@JL_Baseball) June 20, 2025
Brito is a second baseman: that’s his primary position.
However, if he can play a solid right field, he could potentially give the Guardians solutions there as part of a platoon with Nolan Jones, combined with a few second base starts per week at second base while Daniel Schneemann moves to shortstop.
Last year, Brito started 64 games at the keystone, 25 at first base, 20 at third, 19 in right field, and nine at shortstop.
Perhaps you didn’t know that about him, but he can be very versatile.
He is not really known for his glove, but if he can be decent at all those positions, he will play a lot for Cleveland this year.
The bat is there: in 2024, he put up a 115 wRC+ with 61 extra-base hits.
This year, he posted a 138 wRC+ in Columbus before getting hurt.
After logging just one hit in three games in Arizona since returning from his injury last week, he has three in his last two contests, including a homer on Thursday.
He could be a key cog in the second half for the Guardians, particularly if he can contribute in right field.
NEXT: Stats Show A Big Concern About Gabriel Arias
