The Cleveland Guardians have managed to remain afloat in the AL Central race thanks to contributions from players who were not on the roster to begin the season. The Guardians have been forced to dig into their deep pipeline of prospects due to a combination of injuries and underperformance.
Cleveland has had nine players make their MLB debut this season, including recent call-up Khalil Watson. The young outfielder was promoted from Triple-A this month when Chase DeLauter was put on the injured list.
After a rough beginning, Watson is starting to heat up, and he will take a four-game hitting streak into action on Saturday against the Seattle Mariners.
“Cleveland Guardians have scored 11 runs in their last 4 games with 23-year-old OF Kahlil Watson driving in 7 of them including the only run Friday night vs. the Mariners. Watson last four games: 6-13 1R 1(2B) 1HR 7RBI 1BB 1SB. AVG .462; OBP .500; SLG .769; OPS 1.269,” Guardians Prospective posted.
Cleveland #Guardians have scored 11 runs in their last 4 games with 23yr old OF Kahlil Watson driving in 7 of them including the only run Friday night vs the Mariners.
Watson last four games:
6-13 1R 1(2B) 1HR 7RBI 1BB 1SB
AVG .462
OBP .500
SLG .769
OPS 1.269#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/TfrNhIK05u— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) June 27, 2026
Watson started his MLB career 0-for-12 in his first four games. It is the same drought that second baseman Travis Bazzana opened his career with after he made his MLB debut in late April.
Like Bazzana, it did not take long for Watson to get going. He got his first major league hit with a two-run single as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox on Monday, and then added his first stolen base.
Watson hit his first major league home run in the next game. His fifth-inning blast was Cleveland’s only run in a loss to Chicago.
Unfortunately, that has been something of a trend for the Guardians lately. Cleveland has won just three of the eight games that Watson has appeared in, and since DeLauter, Jose Ramirez and Angel Martinez were all injured in the same game on June 13, the team is 3-7.
Once considered a potential top-five pick in the MLB Draft, Watson was acquired by Cleveland in the 2023 trade deadline deal that sent Josh Bell to the Miami Marlins. In 56 games with Columbus this season, he had a slash line of .255/.370/.491 with 12 home runs and 15 stolen bases.
As his recent hot stretch shows, Watson has the talent and potential to help the Guardians’ lineup for as long as he is around.
NEXT: One Guardians Hitter Is Struggling In A Concerning Way
