Guardians add outfielder depth to minor league roster, signing Stuart Fairchild

The Cleveland Guardians have made subtle additions to the roster ahead of the new year.

And after most of those moves being pitchers, they've added a hitter into the mix.

On Saturday, Dec. 20, the Guardians' front office signed outfielder Stuart Fairchild to a minor league deal. The decision comes as the team designated Jhonkensy Noel for assignment, freeing up a spot in the minor league system for an outfielder to join the mix.

Fairchild's a decent batter with a slash line of .223/.305/.384 across five major league seasons, but he's just never been able to find a solid roster spot anywhere.

Guardians have signed OF Stuart Fairchild to a Minor League contract with a non-roster invitation to ML camp. Spent 2025 in the ATL and TB organizations.https://t.co/DvEGpRxR1G pic.twitter.com/fpHkqTCnhG
— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) December 20, 2025

Fairchild is the definition of a MLB journeyman, spending the past four seasons working his way through a few different teams across the league.

In 2025, he played for the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A and major league squads, spending the majority of his time in the majors. The 2024 and 2023 campaigns saw him suit up for the Cincinnati Reds' Triple-A and major league teams.

In 2022, he played for four different Triple-A organizations and three different MLB sides. Those teams being the Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks, Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants.

To say he's been around the block is almost an understatement, but the hope is that he can settle into Cleveland's system and slowly work his way up to the major league roster. Then, he can finally have a place to call home for more than a couple of seasons.

He's not a bad player by any means. He provides a team with a utility-like role, playing in the left, right and center field, while also being utilized as a designated hitter from time to time. No matter where he's at in the outfield as well, he's efficient.

In 82 games in left field in the majors, he sports a perfect 100% fielding mark, in center field, he's got a mark of 99.5% through 112 games and in right field, he's just as efficient with a percentage at 99.1%.

He's also an exciting base runner, coming in well above the league average in sprint speed. He will definitely serve as a pinch runner in late game situations.

While the Guardians will more than likely keep him in the minors as a depth piece, he's an intriguing prospect to keep an eye on. The most likely scenario will see him play for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers.

As Cleveland looks to build consistency early in the 2026 MLB season, if any of the youngsters waver or falter in their games, manager Stephen Vogt might take a look at Fairchild as a potential step-in for a bit of time.

The MLB offseason continues for a few more weeks until Spring Training starts in the middle weeks of February. The Guardians will play their first game on Saturday, Feb. 21, against the Cincinnati Reds with first pitch set for 3:05 p.m.