Guardians Make Extensive Roster Moves as Injured Players Return

Slowly but surely, the Cleveland Guardians are getting healthy.

On Friday, July 24, the Guardians front office activated outfielder Angel Martinez and left-handed reliever Tim Herrin from the injured list, returning both to the major league roster. Over the last few days, the two had been on rehab assignments down in the minors, showing no signs of issues.

In a corresponding move, rookie lefty Will Dion and utility Daniel Schneemann were optioned to Triple-A Columbus. While Dion's optioning made sense, Schneemann's comes as a bit of a surprise.

Out in St. Petersburg, the Guardians announced they've activated Angel Martínez and Tim Herrin off the injured list.

Daniel Schneemann and Will Dion optioned to Columbus.
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) July 24, 2026

However, seeing Herrin and Martínez back on the diamond is a major positive for a team that is looking to climb right back to first in the American League Central standings.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our group,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said following the recent hurdles the team has had to jump over. “The last 5 1/2 weeks could have looked very different. Any time you lose three of your best hitters in a [five-inning] span, it can really derail you.

"But this group never got down. We did a great job of continuing to find ways to win and keep our heads above water.”

Martínez and Herrin Are Back

When asked about his return, the 24-year-old shared that he was trying to stay patient but is certainly relieved to be back.

“I’m really happy to be back with the team,” Martínez said. “It seems like a long time. The biggest thing was staying patient and making sure I recovered well.”

Before going down with a fracture in his left foot, he was slashing .239/.276/.442 for an OPS of .718. He has posted 54 hits, 11 doubles, one triple, 11 home runs and 33 RBI. While he certainly has room to improve at the plate in his control, striking out 53 times to seven walks, his ability to provide the lineup with pop at any time has made him valuable to a relatively weak lineup.

Herrin, on the other hand, is looking to solidify his spot moving forward.

Unlike Martínez, he has had a few flaws in his game this season that have cost the team at times. Owning a 3.06 ERA, Herrin has pitched in 41 games and 32.1 innings. He has also posted a 1.30 WHIP.

The hope is that in the final few months of the season, he can settle in and be a strong No. 2 to lefty counterpart Erik Sabrowski.

Dion and Schneemann Headed to Columbus

While his rookie campaign hasn't gone too hot, Dion has worked to become more consistent in his limited opportunities on the mound.

Making just nine appearances and tossing in 15.2 total innings, the 26-year-old recorded a 5.17 ERA and 1.66 WHIP, all while allowing a .338 batting average against. The main issue was he was never utilized in any high-leverage situations, primarily pitching in lost outings.

“You never want to send anybody to Triple-A,” Vogt said. “Will Dion came up and helped us quite a bit with some really good innings..."

Dion's optioning makes sense at this point in the year, but Schneemann's push to Columbus comes as a major surprise.

He hasn't had the best last few weeks, struggling to be reliable at the plate, but his role as a super utility gave the team plenty of lineup flexibility.

"Daniel Schneemann … that one hurts," said Vogt. "I don’t think there’s any denying he has been a big part of our team for the last two years. At the same time, we had a difficult decision to make with Angel coming back. Daniel can go get some everyday at-bats and work on some things, because we know he’s going to come back and help us win a ton of games.”

Heading into a tough weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Guardians are going to have to be on their A-game with hopes of continuing to chase the White Sox at the top.

Game one of a three-game set is set for Friday, July 24, at 7:10 p.m. EST from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

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