The Cleveland Guardians will be without outfielder Steven Kwan for a few days, at the very least. The team announced the news on its social media channels.
No, he’s not dealing with an injury, or at least there has been no indication of it. He will, however, be away between three and seven days.
“Guardians OF Steven Kwan has been placed on Major League Bereavement/Family Medical Emergency List (3-to-7days), per the team,” News 5 Cleveland’s Mason Horodyski said.
#Guardians OF Steven Kwan has been placed on Major League Bereavement/Family Medical Emergency List (3-to-7days), per the team. #GuardsBall x @WEWS
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) May 28, 2026
The organization didn’t offer many additional details, other than the fact that he is expected back in the next few days. The Guardians are expected to announce who will take his spot on the active roster before Friday’s game.
Kwan has had a difficult season to this point, slashing a rather mediocre .207/.329/.259 with one home run, two stolen bases, and a 77 wRC+. For reference, his career mark on that last stat is 109.
Kwan was among the most consistent performers on the Guardians’ roster ever since he made his MLB debut in 2022. He was the leadoff hitter all these years, and up until May 16, when he was penciled in the bottom half.
Fast forward a couple of weeks, and the Guardians are now using Travis Bazzana as their leadoff hitter with resounding success, while Kwan is usually hitting from the seventh hole, trying to recapture the form that made him an All-Star in 2024 and 2025.
So far, that form has been hard to replicate for him. Kwan is taking more walks than ever before, with a 14.5 percent walk rate as of Thursday, but he is often too passive at the plate, to his own detriment.
The team has tried to get him to be more aggressive early in the count, but it’s a work in progress. We all know that the potential for a bounce-back is there, but these things take time.
Hopefully, Kwan can return to the Guardians’ active roster relatively soon, and the time away helps him sort things out in his everyday life. He is still a valuable, versatile, speedy, and talented outfielder with a lot to offer if he can ever get going at the plate.
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