Cleveland Guardians Opening Day: Batting Order, Starting Pitcher, and Injury Report

It is finally Opening Day, and the Cleveland Guardians are set to take on the Seattle Mariners in a road clash on the West Coast.

From T-Mobile Park in Seattle, the Guardians and Mariners will kick off the 2026 MLB regular season with a 10:10 p.m. EST first pitch.

While it may be later in the day for those back in Cleveland, the Guardians themselves will have no excuse for starting on a slow note, as the past few months, the team has been playing ball out in Arizona.

Here's what the Guardians' batting lineup, injury report and starting pitcher decision looks like before tonight's affair:

Starting Pitcher - Tanner Bibee

There's no question that in the 2026 campaign, Bibee will have a chance to solidify himself as one of the Guardians' long-term starting arms. After performing well over the past three seasons of action, he's entering year four with the organization.

As a 27-year-old, he's expected to be either entering, or already in, his prime. With Gavin Williams chomping at the bit to secure the ace job, there's internal competition brewing in Cleveland. This is a major positive for the team, though, as having two star pitchers who are going to hopefully be contending for a Cy Young award by the end of the campaign is always a good thing.

The Mariners' elite bats will look to disrupt a strong start to the year for Bibee, with guys like catcher Cal Raleigh, outfielder Julio Rodriguez and first baseman Josh Naylor all set to continue being top talents at the plate.

Just last season, Raleigh blasted 24 doubles and 60 home runs for 125 total RBI. If Bibee can limit him, the Guardians will be able to keep the game intact.

Batting Lineup

1. Steven Kwan - Left Field

2. Chase DeLauter - Right Field

3. José Ramírez - Third Base

4. Kyle Manzardo - Designated Hitter

5. Bo Naylor - Catcher

6. Rhys Hoskins - First Base

7. Daniel Schneemann - Center Field

8. Gabriel Arias - Shortstop

9. Brayan Rocchio - Second Base

Out of everyone the Guardians will be trotting out onto the diamond Thursday night, not many will be drawing the eyes that DeLauter will. That's because the 24-year-old had an incredible spring, producing really strong at-bats with both power and consistency.

He finished his time in Cactus League play with five doubles and three home runs for 10 RBI. He slashed a team-high .459/.535/.838 for an OPS of 1.373.

Alongside DeLauter, Schneemann's time in center field will also have a lot of attention towards it, as he will play over Angel Martínez, who had an exceptional spring

The Bench

As expected, the bench will sport Austin Hedges, who is going to play very few games this season. Right now, he's also dealing with an injury suffered in a preseason matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

With Hedges, the bench will also see CJ Kayfus and David Fry, who may pop into the game as utilities, and Martínez, who may end up pinch-hitting late if Schneemann struggles.

Out of the bullpen, the Guardians have Shawn Armstrong, Connor Brogdon, Matt Festa, Tim Herrin, Colin Holderman, Peyton Pallette, Erik Sabrowski and Cade Smith to use.

Injured List

On the 10-day injured list sits outfielder George Valera. In the little opportunities that he got in spring training, he looked to be heading into the upcoming campaign with momentum. Before his injury, he was projected to potentially start on Opening Day alongside Kwan and DeLauter.

Now, he'll just have to get healthy and avoid any further setbacks.

Today’s moves.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/anm3rK6BgQ
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) March 25, 2026

Unfortunately, the Guardians do have two other players injured at the moment, with right-handed pitchers Andrew Walters and Hunter Gaddis on the 15-day injured list. When they get back and healthy, Walters will more than likely begin the year in the minors, before getting a mid-season shot in the big leagues when other injuries potentially arise, while Gaddis uses time in Triple-A to get his groove back.