Minor League Baseball

Cleveland Guardians Share Disappointing Injury News About Their No. 1 Prospect

Travis Bazzana could be out until mid-July or later because of an oblique injury. Bazzana was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft.
Jami Leabow|
RubberDucks' Travis Bazzana follows a long fly ball to the wall in a game against the Altoona Curve on April 13, 2025, in Akron, Ohio.
RubberDucks' Travis Bazzana follows a long fly ball to the wall in a game against the Altoona Curve on April 13, 2025, in Akron, Ohio. | Phil Masturzo / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Cleveland Guardians

Travis Bazzana’s journey to Cleveland has been temporarily derailed.

The No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 MLB Draft by the Guardians, Bazzana could miss in the range of eight to 10 weeks, the team announced Tuesday, spelling out his condition in a news release.

He is assigned to the Double-A Akron RubberDucks.

“INF Travis Bazzana reported right-side flank soreness after swinging during Akron’s game on May 14th," the team said. “After submitting to an MRI and being assessed by the club’s physician group, Bazzana was diagnosed with an internal oblique strain.”

The team added an injury timeline, stating he could miss eight to 10 weeks of his first full pro season. That would put his return in the mid-July to early August range.

MLB Pipeline ranks him as the No. 1 prospect in the Guardians’ farm system and the No. 12 player overall.

The Guardians selected Bazzana, a native of Australia who primarily plays second base, out of Oregon State.

In his final season with the Beavers in 2024, Bazzana hit .407 with 16 doubles, 28 home runs and 66 RBIs. He stole 16 bases, giving him three-year totals of .360, 45 homers and 165 runs driven in with 66 steals.

The 22-year-old has appeared in 33 games for Akron, batting .252 with four home runs, 17 RBIs, 29 runs and eight stolen bases.

The Guardians said Bazzana will begin his rehab program at their training complex in Goodyear, Ariz.

It remains to be seen how the injury could impede Bazzana’s potential advancement to the Guardians. MLB Pipeline had projected him to be on the Cleveland roster in 2025, but a contribution this season seems unlikely now.

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Jami Leabow
JAMI LEABOW

Jami Leabow is the managing editor of Minor League Baseball on SI. Her love for the game began when her parents bought season tickets to the then-California Angels.

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