2025 Guardians Draft Pick Earns Promotion to Double-A After Stellar Start to Season

The Guardians announced that infield prospect Luke Hill would be promoted to Double-A Akron, getting a shot to climb the minor league ladder further since being drafted.

May 20, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; A Cleveland Guardians hat and glove sit on the rail of the dugout during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images | David Reginek-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians aren't wasting any time.

After selecting multiple high-upside players in the 2025 MLB June Amateur Draft, the Guardians have already promoted countless of them through the ranks of the minor league system.

And in the late hours of Sunday, May 31, the front office bumped up infielder Luke Hill to Double-A Akron. He is the first member of his draft class to make such a jump, now just two stops away from the highest level of the game.

Per Chase Ford (@_chaseford) the #Guardians are promoting 2025 fourth-round draft pick, INF Luke Hill, to Double-A Akron.

Hill has had a great season in High-A, belting nearly 20 extra-base hits.#GuardsBall

— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) June 1, 2026

Hill has been quietly tearing up High-A Lake County this season. Across 38 games and 164 at-bats, he has posted a .274/.436/.597 slashing line for an OPS of 1.032. It's not just consistency at the plate or the ability to draw walks at an impressive rate, but uncanny power he never displayed before.

He already has a remarkable 10 home runs this season, two more than the most he smashed back in college with Mississippi. He hit a collegiate-best eight back in his final season with the Rebels.

Earlier this season, when asked about what has gone right, Hill just said that he's having fun and leaning into the confidence he has in himself.

"[We will] Just smile, have a good time, and just try to hit the ball hard," Hill said in an exclusive interview for the BIGPLAY Sports Network/OnSI.

I interviewed Luke Hill last week. He’s a class act!

The 2025 draft class has been INCREDIBLE so far. #GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/e3UI8igNEz

— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) May 14, 2026

Alongside the growth in his deep ball abilities, Hill has also stepped up to bring guys around the bags when in scoring position. He currently has 37 RBI this season, five shy of his mark of his best mark of 42 back with Arizona State in 2023.

Some of his numbers may be slightly inflated by the fact that he's still playing at a lower level of the farm system and alongside many of the same players he was drafted with. However, a promotion to Akron will provide a clearer picture of just how far he has progressed since being selected last summer.

Now, in a new environment, the 22-year-old will be tasked with settling into a new clubhouse and level of competition.

Luke Hill is having an INCREDIBLE season.

He smacks his fourth home run of the series and ninth of the year. #GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/qe6SVBEAUn

— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) May 17, 2026

Hill will probably take a couple of days to get down to Akron and settle in before getting out onto the diamond, but expect to see him out on the field by the end of the week. As countless bodies continue to rise through the ranks, many taking up valuable spots in Triple-A, Cleveland's front office will likely ride out Hill in Double-A for the rest of the campaign.