Veteran Help Might Be the Missing Piece for the Cleveland Guardians

Although the Cleveland Guardians have dropped below .500 following a loss to the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday, May 5, there are trends that show that the team may be able to pull themselves out of the funk.

May 2, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Rhys Hoskins (8) looks on from the dugout before the start of a baseball game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

A three-run blast spotlighted the Cleveland Guardians' loss to the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday, May 5.

However, the deep ball wasn't sent out of the field of play by one of the Guardians' expected bats. Instead, it was the veteran, 33-year-old Rhys Hoskins, who, as of late, has begun to flash power at the plate, which the front office was hoping to see when they signed him this past offseason.

"I was talking to it down the line," Hoskins said about his fourth-inning home run that went just 343 feet at a 26-degree launch angle. "So I'll feel like that somehow helped it. I didn't like crush it, which is also going to help with that. It kind of keeps it fair a little bit, but always a good sign when you keep an inside pitch fair."

He has now bashed two home runs and one double in his last four games, good enough for seven total RBI. During that stretch, he has also walked twice to four strikeouts, proving that his eye is getting better as games go on.

That type of veteran productivity can light a flame under the rest of the roster, especially for the youngsters who look up to those types of players in the clubhouse.

Alongside the obvious first-year players, Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana, guys like Brayan Rocchio, Kyle Manzardo and Angel Martinez, just to name a few, all look up to Hoskins for advice in different situations. At different points in this campaign, he has been seen talking to each of these players prior to stepping into the batter's box, or following a rough inning, giving them experienced insight.

Hoskins may not be the most efficient player at the plate, but seeing him back up the things he speaks on is a difference maker.

"Yeah, it's a learning experience for sure," Hoskins said about being pushed into this leadership role in Cleveland. "I've obviously been on teams where this role is filled by... a good player as well and try to watch them, but finding yourself in it, trying to figure out how to acclimate to this group of guys specifically and this staff is, I think, something that just takes time.

"So I would say I'm inching towards feeling comfortable, but every day I'm just trying to learn something new to put myself in a good position to have some success."

When Hoskins, Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan can all eventually be hitting and getting on base at the same time, it'll be a major spark for the Guardians' lineup.

On the mound, 30-year-old Colin Holderman, who joined the team this past offseason, has stepped up big like Hoskins has recently.

In Tuesday's loss, he was put in the matchup after starter Gavin Williams allowed five runs, pitching through two innings and giving up no hits, runs or walks in the process. He finished with three strikeouts.

With such a showing, his season ERA has dropped to 1.50 while his WHIP comes in at 0.67 and batting average against at .140. His total inning count is now at 12.00, with just one earned run given up that hasn't been a home run.

For two players that began the campaign with immense struggles, seeing both Hoskins and Holderman get into a groove is a great sign for Cleveland as they prepare for the middle part of the 2026 campaign to crawl closer.