Why the Cleveland Guardians Moved Nolan Jones and Petey Halpin Off the Active Roster

Well, it felt like it was bound to happen.

After struggling for most of the 2025 campaign and into the 2026 spring training window, Nolan Jones' time in the navy blue and red may be coming to a close.

On Friday, March 20, the Cleveland Guardians officially decided to take the 27-year-old Jones off the active roster, paving the way for the team's thriving prospects to get everyday time in the outfield by outrighting him. This effectively removes him from the 40-man roster and sends him down to the minor leagues; however, he can deny the decision and instead enter free agency.

Alongside Jones, the team optioned prospect Petey Halpin, who spent a little bit of time in the big leagues last season, to Triple-A. The front office's decision to place him back down to the farm system is to allow him to get plenty of chances to keep growing, as the majors didn't really have a spot for him.

The Guardians have outrighted Nolan Jones and optioned Petey Halpin to Triple-A Columbus.

Jones has ability to reject outright.
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) March 20, 2026

But when taking a deeper look, why did the Cleveland Guardians front office choose to lean on other players over them in pursuit of success in 2026?

The Bigger Picture

To put it simply, neither Jones nor Halpin was going to provide the play that those who are likely to make the final roster do.

Currently, two players have seemingly locked down their spots for the 2026 campaign in Cleveland's outfield: Chase DeLauter and Steven Kwan. Both provide different playstyles to the roster, DeLauter with his power and pop, and Kwan with his speed, athleticism and defensive capabilities.

Outside of those two, the rest of the outfield has been led by Angel Martinez, George Valera and Stuart Fairchild, each of whom has had their own promising moments in 2026.

In spring training, both Martinez and Valera have looked really sharp at the plate, knocking 12 and seven hits, respectively. Martinez is heading into the final few days of play, slashing .353/.405/.765 for an OPS of 1.170, while Valera's slashing .292/.333/.500 for an OPS of .833.

Both players have also flashed power, with Martinez knocking a team-high six doubles and two home runs.

Fairchild's explosiveness hasn't been shown too much in spring training, but when competing for Chinese Taipei in the World Baseball Classic, he grabbed eyes.

In 12 at-bats, which is a small sample size, he crushed two home runs for six RBI. He also kept a keen eye at the plate, drawing four walks and striking out just five times. While he was a question mark heading into 2026, he's put up a great resume to get the nod to be a bench player for Cleveland.

Unfortunately for Jones, he's played almost the exact opposite of those three this year. He hasn't looked remotely like how he did during his time with the Colorado Rockies, a spark of magic many hoped he would be able to find during the offseason, as he is only batting .152 this spring.

Halpin, on the other hand, hasn't been even close to that level of inefficiency. If anything, he's actually played really well. However, with him being so young and having plenty of options left, his timeline doesn't need to be rushed. Playing in Triple-A will allow him to get more daily at-bats and grow as a player.

The front office may also weed out some of the other questionable bats before turning him over to the big leagues full-time.

At the end of the day, the Guardians' front office had to prioritize opportunities for Valera and DeLauter, who will likely spend most of the time next to Kwan in 2026.

They also had to make sure those they kept on the active roster weren't going to be deer in headlights when given the nod in late-game or mid-season dry spells, which is why the bench depth is likely to have experienced bats like Fairchild.

Now, after the many moves that were made today, there are just a few more cuts for the front office to make before Opening Day.