One Guardians Player Is Suddenly Locked In

The Cleveland Guardians’ offense is not enjoying its best stretch. That’s a fact. It remains highly volatile, which is not as bad as it sounds, as it maintains the possibility of being much more productive, deeper, and more consistent than it currently is.

For example, what happens if Jose Ramirez comes back from injury and starts mashing like he used to? What if Angel Martinez also returns and produces right away? What if Cooper Ingle finds a way to replicate his Triple-A success in the majors?

Steven Kwan, however, might be the biggest wild card in the Guardians’ 2026 fate. The two-time All-Star has been one of the worst regulars in the league, sporting a woeful 76 wRC+ with just one home run and three stolen bases in 328 plate appearances. His bat speed is starting to look critically slow.

But could it be that Kwan is starting to turn things around? The numbers suggest a modest rebound in recent games.

“Kwan starting to figure it out? Cleveland Guardians OF Steven Kwan extended his hitting streak to six games on an RBI base hit in the 7th inning tonight in the team’s comeback win. During streak: 6-18, 3 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 3 BB, AVG .333, OBP .429,” Guardians Prospective posted.

Kwan starting to figure it out?

Cleveland #Guardians OF Steven Kwan extended his hitting streak to six games on an RBI base hit in the 7th inning tonight in the team's comeback win.

During streak:

6-18 3R 1(3B) 1RBI 3BB

AVG .333
OBP .429#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/aOFoLJoMPr

— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) July 4, 2026

Six games represent a tiny drop in the ocean because Kwan has played 81 so far. But the Guardians will take any progress he can show.

We are talking about someone who routinely finished with a wRC+ between 99 and 130 in his four previous seasons, which has dropped to the 70-80 range in 2026. You can’t even imagine how the Guardians have suffered from Kwan’s slump.

This is a player who used to be one of the top leadoff men in the game. His struggles have forced manager Stephen Vogt to remove him from the top spot of the lineup.

Perhaps he is about to go on a heater and return to being the Kwan we all know, but he will have to do it for much longer than six games to ease those concerns for good.