Juan Brito, whom the Cleveland Guardians called up in early April to fill in for the injured Gabriel Arias, entered Saturday’s game in a 1-for-22 skid at the plate. He was brilliant in his first three games as a major leaguer, but after that, it has all been a long adjustment period for him.
The Guardians have been patient with him. They know that it’s either trusting Brito to turn things around or calling up Travis Bazzana earlier than anticipated, even though he is probably ready now.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt saw good things at the plate from Brito on Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Asked if he still trusts the young infielder, he gave an encouraging response that will surely boost the player’s confidence.
“He’s going to be playing out there again tomorrow. You know, he’s here to play second base for us. And you know, (he had) a couple of good at-bats today. We just got to continue to help him develop defensively and help him to work,” Vogt said after the game, per Mason Horodyski of News 5 Cleveland.
Vogt was also asked if he still has confidence in Juan Brito:
"He's going to be playing out there again tomorrow. You know, he's here to play second base for us. And you know, some couple good at bats today. We just got to continue to help him develop defensively and help him to… https://t.co/yN9eWhFoN7
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) April 25, 2026
Brito put an end to the rough stretch with a double in the third inning, a long drive that preceded the first run of the game:
Nice piece of hitting here by Juan Brito, who entered today 1-for-22 over his past seven games. He worked a seven-pitch AB before going oppo for a double.
And he just scored from third on a contact play as I wrote this. pic.twitter.com/5fjFjXFajT
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) April 25, 2026
Besides the two-bagger, Brito had a groundout and a lineout, both over 93 mph of exit velocity. After that, in the ninth inning, he worked a clutch walk to put two men on base with one out and his team down just two runs, but Bo Naylor and Brayan Rocchio both struck out to end the threat and the game.
It may not have included a tape-measure home run or three hits, but in many aspects, Saturday’s game could be the start of a nice run for Brito. He was also lacking confidence, and his manager just assured him that he is going to be in the lineup on Sunday.
Players usually respond well to these votes of confidence. It remains to be seen if Brito takes advantage of this huge opportunity or if he falls into oblivion.
NEXT: Joey Cantillo Gets Honest About What Went Wrong In Toronto
