Highly-Regarded Cleveland Guardians Prospect Could Miss 2-3 Months with Surgery

Juan Brito, who was thought of as a possible replacement for Andres Gimenez this season, is out now with a thumb injury.

Columbus Clippers infielder Juan Brito (24) laughs during the game against the St. Paul Saints at Huntington Park on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians got some bad news down on the farm on Friday, with Zack Meisel of The Athletic reporting that infield prospect Juan Brito will miss the next 2-3 months because of thumb surgery to repair a sprained ligament.

Cleveland prospect Juan Brito underwent thumb surgery to repair a sprained ligament. He’s expected to miss 8-12 weeks.

— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) April 25, 2025

Brito, 23, is ranked as the No. 10 prospect in the organization by MLB Pipeline. He was originally signed in 2018 by the Colorado Rockies but came to Cleveland in the trade for Nolan Jones. He had been predicted to make his major league debut this season and was seen as a possible replacement for the now-departed Andres Gimenez, so we'll see how this injury impacts his timeline.

Playing for Triple-A Columbus this season, he's hitting .291 with a .406 on-base percentage. He has two home runs and four stolen bases.

The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

Yet another switch-hitting Guardians infield prospect, Brito always has made consistent contact and controlled the strike zone from both sides of the plate. He also has displayed the aptitude to launch balls in the air to his pull side, though he produced just 31 homers in his first 296 pro games before bashing a career-best 21 last year. He did a better job of driving the ball as a righty after struggling to do so in 2023.

The Guardians will host the Boston Red Sox on Friday night at Progressive Field. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET.

Cleveland is 14-10 this season while Boston is 14-13.

Related MiLB Stories

HIGH PRAISE: Caleb Durbin, acquired from the Yankees this offseason, is drawing rave reviews in the Brewers organization since being called up. CLICK HERE:

REHABBING HOMER: DJ LeMahieu, the former batting champion, hit a home run in his first rehab game with the Double-A Somerset Patriots. CLICK HERE:

NO POSITIONAL CHANGE: The Red Sox are certainly eager to get top prospect Roman Anthony to the big leaues, but they won't move him to first base to make it happen sooner. CLICK HERE: