Cleveland Baseball Insider

Guardians Receive Unfortunate Injury News On Prospect

Elite Cleveland Guardians prospect Juan Brito underwent surgery to repair a high-grade right thumb ligament sprain.
Columbus Clippers infielder Juan Brito (24) laughs during the game against the St. Paul Saints at Huntington Park on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio.
Columbus Clippers infielder Juan Brito (24) laughs during the game against the St. Paul Saints at Huntington Park on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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The Cleveland Guardians have several minor league prospects who are ready to help the big league club whenever necessary.

One of those players heading into the 2025 season was Juan Brito, who was a legitimate candidate to take over at second base following the Andrew Gimenez trade.

However, Brito won't be making his MLB debut anytime soon as the organization got the news that their 10th-ranked prospect had undergone surgery for a high-grade ligament sprain.

Brito initially suffered the injury, sliding into third base.

The initial timetable for Brito's return is 8-12 weeks, with a possible return to action at the end of June or mid-July.

Even though Brito isn't with the big league club yet, this is a devastating blow to Cleveland's infield depth.

It puts a lot of pressure on Gabriel Arias to keep up his strong start to the season and for Brayan Rocchio to step it up on offense.

Brito struggled at the plate during spring training, hitting .189/.231/.541 and uncharacteristically striking out at a high rate.

These struggles ultimately led Brito to start the season at Triple-A. However, he's only taken off at the plate since the minor league season started.

The 23-year-old has played in 16 games (55 at-bats) so far this season and was slashing .291/.406/.491 with an OPS of .897, including two home runs and five doubles.

Hopefully, Brito will not suffer any setbacks in his injury rehab and will be able to return to the field within the initial timeline.

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