Why the Cleveland Guardians Are Likely Leaving Rhys Hoskins Out of the Lineup

Before the 2026 MLB regular season began, Cleveland Guardians manager implied that veteran first baseman Rhys Hoskins was going to be an important piece for the team.

"He can hit. He can really hit," manager Stephen Vogt said. "He can play first base. There's still a really good player in there. He knows it, and we know it, and that's why we brought him in. We're really excited to have Rhys."

And through the first two games of the campaign, it seemed as though he was going to be a vital piece of the team's early-season success.

He had three hits and a double in six at-bats, kept a keen eye at the plate with two walks to two strikeouts and looked reliable on the fielding end. But for some reason, the 33-year-old has been held out of the lineup now for three consecutive games.

While it has a good chunk of Guardians fans questioning the competence of Cleveland's coaching staff, it could be a fairly simple reason.

Hoskins has looked really reliable, giving the Guardians a first baseman they can count on, but someone else who plays the same position is quietly having a strugglesome start to the campaign.

His name is Kyle Manzardo.

The 25-year-old is entering his second full season of action at the major league level. He showcased ups and downs throughout the 2025 campaign, with more reps being the expected fix for some of the bumps in the road.

He had a below-average mark in Whiff% and K%, and an average mark in Chase%, showing that major league pitching was causing him to struggle with consistent contact, especially against high-velocity fastballs and sharp breaking balls.

There were stretches where his timing looked off, leading to slumps in his offensive impact.

To begin 2026, a lot of those issues have remained. Through the opening four games he's played, he has just two hits in 16 at-bats, while striking out an incredibly high 10 times.

Getting him in a groove before it's too late seems to be the focus, especially because without Manzardo, the Guardians' offense loses a lot of power. Last season, he crushed 19 doubles and 27 home runs for a total of 70 RBI.

This conflict for time at first base was bound to happen eventually, but for it to happen this early in the campaign certainly wasn't expected.

Just a few weeks ago, Vogt preached how valuable a player like Hoskins would be for the Guardians, but now, he's being passed over by players who, all but two, are batting under .230 to begin the campaign.

"You can't put a value on someone like Rhys Hoskins, who's had kind of the highest level of success in this game," Vogt said. "And what he brings to our guys is just the maturity to the approach and what it takes to play every day. The way he has just come in and put his arm around our young guys, it's no question another reason why our at-bat quality has been really good this spring."

While it could just be a simple case of early-season acclimation, as well, where the Guardians' coaching staff doesn't want to just throw him into the lineup every single day, eventually they'll have to begin prioritizing productivity and efficiency at the plate.