Guardians Struggling Offense Needs A Jolt Of Life
What was once a promising and historic start for the Cleveland Guardians has turned slightly concerning as the offense has reverted back to its 2023 production.
Over the last seven days, the Guardians have a .229/.323/.353 team slashline and a .676 OPS. It’s clear this offense needs a jolt of life, but where could it come from?
Thankfully, there are options and solutions to give the lineup a fresh look. The only unknown is whether or not the front office will pull the trigger on promoting them.
Fans will immediately jump to Cleveland’s No. 2 prospect Kyle Manzardo who is tearing apart minor league pitching. He has a .305 batting average, a 1.008 OPS, and a 146 wRC+ over 28 games this season. Not to mention this comes over Manzardo got off to a slow start.
Manzardo has no business being at Triple-A. However, when he’ll actually make the jump to big leagues remains to be seen.
Lucky for the Guardians, Manzardo isn’t their only option in minors who could make it a positive impact on Cleveland's roster.
Johnathan Rodriguez has also picked it up over the last two weeks and OPS is now up to .889 which includes six home runs on 21 RBI. The 24-year-old has been waiting for his shot in the majors and that could be soon the way the offense has been playing.
Goerge Valera opened up the season on the injured list, but he could be another player to watch as he gets it going.
The bottom line is that Cleveland’s offense needs a jump start. The AL Central looks like it’ll be a closely contested battle throughout the summer making each series important. One two-week stretch of mediocrity could be the difference makers come October.
Cleveland needs to get ahead of any slump and that includes promoting players who are ready to make an impact at the major league level.
TOMMY WILD