Guardians' Cooper Ingle Takes Hard-Throwing Yankees Prospect Deep in 3-Homer Game

Cleveland Guardians catching prospect Cooper Ingle just turned in a massive performance in his latest game with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers.

Ingle, Cleveland's No. 3 prospect for 2026 on MLB Pipeline, went 4-for-4 at the plate with four RBIs for the Clippers on Thursday. Most notably, the 24-year-old produced a three-homer game in Columbus' 7-5 win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. The lefty-swinging catcher launched three long balls in the first, third, and sixth innings, while also adding a double in the fifth.

Ingle's third home run of the day was a two-run shot against Yankees pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange, who recently began his temporary transition to the bullpen. The Cleveland prospect got a 98.6 mph fastball down the middle from the 23-year-old New York hurler and didn't miss it, crushing the pitch 401 feet to left-center field with an exit velocity of 99.4 mph.

Could Cooper Ingle be called up by the Guardians in 2026?

Feb 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians catcher Cooper Ingle (70) looks on from the dugout against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Fields of Phoenix. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Following his performance on Thursday, Ingle is hitting .304 with 12 home runs and 39 RBIs in 47 Triple-A games this year. The 24-year-old also has a .436 on-base percentage and a 1.026 OPS so far in 2026. The young catcher launched 10 long balls in 2025 and 11 in 2024, so he's now set a new single-season career high in the minors thanks to his three-homer game.

Ingle was selected by the Guardians in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB draft out of Clemson University, where he hit .328 with six home runs and 34 RBIs in 62 games during his final year with the Tigers. Now in his fourth season in the minors, he's steadily climbed through Cleveland's farm system. The top prospect made his Double-A debut in 2024 and played his first Triple-A game last year.

After trading for two-time Gold Glove Award-winning catcher Patrick Bailey in May, it's unclear if the Guardians plan to call Ingle up to the majors at some point in 2026. Cleveland has already turned to several young players this year, including 2024 first-overall draft pick Travis Bazzana. And with star third baseman José Ramírez currently sidelined due to a left hamate bone fracture, the Guardians may eventually try to find a way to fit Ingle into the lineup if he continues to post strong offensive numbers in Triple-A.

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