Three Questions the Cleveland Guardians Need Answered Before Opening Day

The Cleveland Guardians are roughly a week away from the 2026 MLB season opener.

And with it rapidly approaching, the Guardians are finding themselves entering the final stretch of spring training.

Several key roster decisions are still unresolved, especially when dealing with prospects who have quietly emerged onto the scene and players who joined the team in the offseason. While much of the core group is already in place, with many of them just taking back their respective spots from 2025, a handful of lingering questions could shape the team's success early in the season.

Will Colin Holderman Be Reliable Enough?

Holderman was signed to a one-year deal by the front office in the offseason, with a chance to help bolster the bullpen.

However, even from the eye test, it was obvious that he was going to have an uphill battle to solidify a roster spot.

In 2025, while with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Holderman struggled on the mound, tossing a 7.01 ERA across 24 games. He also recorded a 1.948 WHIP and allowed 11.9 hits per nine innings, showing that his biggest flaw was allowing guys to get on the base paths too easily.

That has carried over into spring training, where through eight games and eight innings, he's posted a measly 9.0 ERA. He's allowed eight hits, eight earned runs, one home run and four walks, while striking out eight.

Unless he starts making big strides down the stretch of spring training, there's a good chance some of the team's prospects make a jump over him for a roster spot.

Does Rhys Hoskins Make Sense?

After making his major league debut at 24 years old, Hoskins looked like he was going to be a staple for the Philadelphia Phillies. But after an injury, his fit with the organization was lost and he ended up bouncing to the Milwaukee Brewers, where, for the past two seasons, he hasn't looked like the player he once was.

With Cleveland, though, he'll have a chance to get his career back on track.

However, he first needs to make the roster.

His fit is going to be somewhat confusing, especially early in the campaign. The right-handed hitter will slot in nicely against lefty pitchers, with the only issue being where the other bats on the roster slot in and get opportunities.

If the coaching staff can find a nice rotation of Kyle Manzardo, David Fry and Hoskins spending time between designated hitter and first, they'll set themselves up for future success.

There's a strong chance that Hoskins plays first more than Manzardo does this season, while the power hitter looks to get his bat sharper in the designated hitter spot. Then, it allows both to thrive in more comfortable positions.

Can Chase DeLauter stay healthy?

The former No. 16 overall selection in the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft has battled injuries his entire career.

From the day he was drafted up until the present day, there has constantly been some sort of issue surrounding DeLauter's health, keeping him off the diamond for spells.

Most recently, in spring training, he was suffering from lower-body soreness, something that knocked him out of the lineup for a couple of days. That type of inability to stay healthy weakens how reliable he is, making it a difficult decision for the coaching staff to decide on whether he deserves a roster spot by Opening Day.

He has all the talent in the world; the Guardians just need to know they can count on him and not waste a roster spot on someone who may play under 100 games in a season.

Likely, the Guardians will use him as a designated hitter a good bit in 2026, if he makes the roster, to keep him as healthy as possible.