The Cleveland Guardians are 12-4 Since Replacing Franmil Reyes with Oscar Gonzalez

The Cleveland Guardians have won 12 of their last 16 games and taken a four-game lead in the American League Central, since designating designated hitter and outfielder Franmil Reyes for assignment August 6, and activating Oscar Gonzalez from the Injured List. Reyes is batting .300 with two home runs since being claimed off of waivers by the Chicago Cubs.

The Cleveland Guardians are 12-4 over their last 16 games and now hold a four-game lead in the American League Central over the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox. With six weeks remaining in the 2022 season, the division is theirs to lose.

Entering August 6, the Guardians were 54-52, two games back of the Twins (56-50) for the division lead, and 2.5 games back of the third American League wild card spot.

Days after a relatively quiet trade deadline, the club made a few moves to shake up their roster. The Guardians selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Jake Jewell from Triple-A Columbus, optioned right-handed pitcher Hunter Gaddis to Triple-A Columbus, released first baseman Bobby Bradley, and designated outfielder and designated hitter Franmil Reyes for assignment.

Reyes was optioned to Triple-A just days earlier, in a corresponding move where the Guardians activated rookie right fielder Oscar Gonzalez from the Injured List.

Reyes wasn't himself this year for the Guardians. In 70 games with the Guardians, the slugger was hitting just .229/.263/.647. His .647 OPS was a steep drop-off from how he has slugged in recent years. In 2021, he logged a .846 OPS in 115 games. His OPS was down nearly 200 points from a year ago.

Reyes, age-26, was one of the key pieces the Guardians got back in the 2019 Trevor Bauer trade. He mashed 37 home runs in 2019 and 30 in 2021. As the Guardians' primary designated hitter this year, he hit just 11.

Replacing Reyes with Gonzalez has yielded nice results for the Guardians' lineup.

Gonzalez is slashing .305/.330/.812 with five home runs and 23 RBI through the first 51 games of his career. Since returning to the Guardians August 2, Gonzalez is on a tear, hitting .338/.355/.923. His impact has been felt in the win column. 10 of the Guardians' last 16 games have been against teams with records above .500; their record is 12-4 over that stretch.

Two days after the Guardians designated Reyes for assignment, the Chicago Cubs picked up his contract off waivers. Through 15 games, Reyes looks like himself again. He's batting .300 with an .840 OPS, 130 OPS+, two home runs, and eight RBI. Just 26, the Cubs may have found their designated hitter of the future.

It appears the change of scenery is benefitting both Reyes and the Guardians greatly.