How Kyle Manzardo’s Early-Season Struggles Have Put His Future in Question

Kyle Manzardo's start to the 2026 campaign is one he likely wishes he could forget.

Through nine games played, the power-hitting 25-year-old is slashing just .067/.200/.067 for an OPS of .267, with 2 hits in 30 at-bats. He still hasn't knocked an extra-base hit and is struggling to avoid striking out, recording 12 on the year.

On Sunday, April 5, Manzardo only played game one of the doubleheader between the Guardians and the Chicago Cubs, and while he did draw a walk, he struck out once and went 0-for-3 from the plate. For a player batting clean-up, it's tough to continue justifying his spot as the No. 4 hitter in the lineup, especially when every single other player on the active roster has a better batting average than he does.

Up until Sunday, outfielder CJ Kayfus, who was hitless, had the lowest batting average. But with a double in game one that bounced off the back wall in right field, Kayfus overtook him by roughly .016.

Manzardo and Bo Naylor are also the last two players without an extra-base hit to begin 2026.

With the Guardians getting a breakout-start from outfielder Chase DeLauter and a respectable start from guys like Steven Kwan and Brayan Rocchio, they need the rest that were on the roster in 2025 to begin pulling their weight, too.

Unfortunately for Manzardo, these struggles haven't just emerged out of thin air. All spring, he had issues, slashing .182/.237/.345 for an OPS of .582. He knocked just 10 hits, three of which were home runs, for a total of 12 RBI.

Again, when he's flashing power, the talent is there. It's his consistency that ends up getting him in trouble, and his strikeout rate as well. He finished play through February and March with 21 strikeouts to just four walks drawn.

Back during spring training, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt spoke to the issues Manzardo was having, with confidence that he could end up fixing them by the time the regular season rolled around.

“We know he can hit,” Vogt said. “It's not that it's about results in spring. He was working on some things early, but really like where Kyle is right now with his approach and his swing.”

Manzardo hasn't yet made any noticeable changes, but there is still time to see what Vogt was mentioning end up coming into effect.

If Manzardo doesn't start improving and needs time to reset, he does have two minor league options available for 2026, giving the Guardians a bit more wiggle room to move him down, especially if the major league roster can't afford to waste a lineup spot on him. He would likely only get optioned if the Guardians remain competitive in the American League Central.

In seasons past, the Guardians have demoted players to Triple-A to allow them to play in a less stressful environment. Sometimes that'll allow batters to get into a groove and gain confidence, giving them a boost before promoting them back up.

Across 177 games and nearly 800 plate appearances in Triple-A, Manzardo is slashing .254/.369/.509 for an OPS of .878. He's hit 47 doubles and 37 home runs, which is good enough for over 100 RBI.

With that type of success being found a step below the bigs, giving him time to get his feet back underneath himself in an environment he has thrived in may end up being beneficial for his long-term success.

This isn't the first time that questions like this have begun to arise, but hopefully, if he can start trending in the right direction and get a couple of hits underneath his belt, it can be the last.

After all, Manzardo's 2026 campaign would be just his second full stint in major league action. He still has plenty of time to settle in and show that he can be an everyday contributor at the plate.