Young Guardians Outfielder Draws Buzz As ‘Sleeper’

The Cleveland Guardians finally optioned the struggling Jhonkensy Noel to Triple-A Columbus.

Johnathan Rodriguez got the nod to replace him after dominating with the Clippers for over a month now.

However, even with Lane Thomas set to return from another injury sooner rather than later, the Guardians might need some help in the outfield.

A lot has been said of star prospects like Chase DeLauter and C.J. Kayfus, and rightfully so.

Nevertheless, as reported by Guardians Prospective on X, neither of them is on the 40-man roster right now, which is why the team might want to give Petey Halpin a look instead:

“I get all the calls by fans for Kayfus and DeLauter but don’t sleep on Petey Halpin. The 23yr old outfielder is an outstanding defensive center fielder that is currently hitting .292 on the season with an .834 OPS at Columbus. One other factor is that Halpin is on the 40-man and Kayfus and DeLauter are not,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.

I get all the calls by fans for Kayfus and DeLauter but don't sleep on Petey Halpin.

The 23yr old outfielder is an outstanding defensive center fielder that is currently hitting .292 on the season with an .834 OPS at Columbus.

One other factor is that Halpin is on the 40-man…

— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) June 8, 2025

Halpin may not turn heads with raw power like DeLauter, but he hasn’t struggled with injuries like the superstar prospect.

As for Kayfus, he’s got the upper hand in terms of defense and experience playing center field.

More importantly, the fact that the team wouldn’t have to make any move to make room for him on the roster is also a factor worth considering.

The Guardians aren’t likely to be aggressive in the trade market; if anything, they might look to be sellers.

They’re not the kind of team that usually gives up on their top prospects to make a short-term postseason run, and they will most likely look to stay competitive with their actual core.

Nevertheless, they still need another reliable outfielder besides Steven Kwan, so they might have no choice but to dig deep into their farm system to find some much-needed reinforcements.