Young Guardians Hitter Is Starting To Turn Things Around

It was really looking bleak for Kyle Manzardo in the early going of the 2026 season. The Cleveland Guardians first baseman had one of the lowest batting averages in the game, and it didn’t feel like he was going to get back on track.

But ever since a well-struck base hit facing a position player on the mound in a blowout victory against the Kansas City Royals, things have started to change. Manzardo survived a series of roster moves that resulted in CJ Kayfus being sent down, and he is inching back to being the middle-of-the-order threat that Cleveland desperately needs him to be.

The young Guardians hitter is starting to turn things around, with a recent hot stretch pushing his batting average closer to .200.

“It looks like first baseman Kyle Manzardo is starting to find his swing again. He went into Friday’s game against Baltimore hitting .400 (8 for 20) over his last six games. The Guardians can definitely use the kind of production he gave them last year when he hit 27 homers with 70 RBIs,” Paul Hoynes wrote.

Going into his eighth-inning at-bat against Tyler Tolbert on April 8, Manzardo was 2-for-34 on the season. His single started him on a hitting streak, which he extended to eight games by going 1-for-5 against the Orioles on Friday, raising his batting average to a season-high .190.

However, he still has just one home run and three RBIs, and as Cleveland’s Opening Day cleanup hitter, that kind of power production will not suffice. He also has 23 strikeouts and just five walks.

These failings were somewhat hidden by the outstanding start to the season by rookie outfielder Chase DeLauter, who was providing the punch with four home runs in his first three games. However, DeLauter has not homered in his past 12 games, and no one on the team other than Jose Ramirez has more than four.

After taking over as Cleveland’s primary first baseman after Carlos Santana was released last season, Manzardo established himself as a true power threat with nine home runs and 23 RBIs in August and September. However, this season, he has only one extra-base hit (a double) in addition to his lone home run.

Now that he has been able to find some success, more home runs hopefully will follow, because the Guardians can’t afford to be searching for them from Manzardo much longer.