Minor League Baseball

Cleveland Guardians Call Up Top Prospect Johnathan Rodríguez, Option Jhonkensy Noel

With their offense continuing to fall flat and Jhonkensy Noel slumping, the Cleveland Guardians have decided to give Johnathan Rodríguez another chance.
Sam Connon|
Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cleveland Guardians outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez (30) poses for a photo during MLB Media Day at Cleveland Guardians Spring Training Facility.
Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cleveland Guardians outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez (30) poses for a photo during MLB Media Day at Cleveland Guardians Spring Training Facility. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

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Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians have recalled outfielder Johnathan Rodríguez from Triple-A Columbus, according to the team's official transaction log.

Rodríguez is ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the Guardians' farm system, good for third-highest among outfielders. The 25-year-old slugger made his MLB debut in 2024 and spent time in the majors earlier this season, but he went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts during his brief stint in Cleveland.

To make room for Rodríguez on the big league roster, the Guardians optioned outfielder Jhonkensy Noel to Columbus. The 23-year-old slugger was batting .146 with a .392 OPS and -0.9 WAR to open 2025 following his explosive rookie campaign.

As for Rodríguez, he is hitting .324 with seven home runs, eight doubles, 32 RBIs and a .902 OPS through 46 games in Triple-A this year. He totaled 26, 29 and 29 home runs in the minors in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Cleveland is on a three-game losing streak with just five total runs in that span, so they could use an extra bit of pop in their lineup. While the club remains three games above .500, they rank No. 24 in MLB in runs scored this season.

The Guardians' series finale with the Houston Astros is scheduled for Sunday at 1:40 p.m. ET.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for “UCLA on SI’’ and won awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for “New England Patriots on SI’’ and was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamConnon.

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