Looks like Arias is starting at SS. Maybe Vogt's comments about Rocchio playing more SS were meant to kick Arias in the can. Got to believe that there is a date this June that Bazzana is coming up np matter what.

Guardians

Travis Bazzana headed into Triple-A season at full go: Guardians takeaways

Updated: Mar. 22, 2026, 11:00 a.m.|Published: Mar. 22, 2026, 6:05 a.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

SCOTTSDALE — Travis Bazzana is using the energy he created in the World Baseball Classic for Team Australia to have a strong finish to spring training.
In Saturday’s 10-7 Cactus League loss to the Giants, Bazzana accounted for five of Cleveland’s runs with two homers.
He hit a leadoff homer off left-handed starter Robbie Ray in the fifth inning. In the sixth, he hit a grand slam off right-hander Trevor McDonald.

“I feel like this has been a good steppingstone on the backend of spring training,” Bazzana said after the game. “I’m feeling really good right now going into the season.”

Bazzana will start the season at Triple-A Columbus.

The Guardians drafted Bazzana with the first overall pick in the 2024 draft after winning the draft lottery at the winter meetings. This has been his first big-league camp and it’s come and gone quickly.

“It went fast,” said Bazzana. “Of course, spending a couple of weeks in Japan (for the World Baseball Classic) took away from the whole (training) camp side of things.

“I feel I learned a lot. I feel I got a lot out of camp and I’m excited to move into the season.”

Bazzana is hitting .381 (8 for 21) with three homers, 11 RBI and a 1.292 OPS in eight games. Half of his hits have gone for extra bases.

The reasons why:

Tanner Bibee, Cleveland’s opening day starter, feels good about his spring even though some of his stats didn’t look that way. Bibee cited several factors that explain his optimism despite the numbers:

For one, Guardians’ pitchers don’t use scouting reports in spring training. “You don’t know the hitters. But they know everything about you,” said Bibee.

He’s been working on a pitch that is a combination sweeper-curveball.

“It’s my sweeper grip but with a different mindset on it,” said Bibee, who made his last spring start Saturday, while allowing eight runs on 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings. “I think throwing just one pitch with a big spin to get them off everything else is pretty good.”

Bibee and catcher David Fry are still getting reacquainted. Fry hasn’t been behind the plate since 2024 because of Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

“We’re still trying to get the whole thing together,” said Bibee, who has thrown to Fry in his last three starts.

Show me the money

The Guardians traded infielder Carter Kieboom to the Phillies on Saturday for cash. When a player is traded for cash, the maximum amount that can be included in the deal is $100,000.

The Guardians didn’t get that much in the trade, but they were able to put Kieboom into a situation where he should get regular playing time for the Phillies’ Triple-A team at Lehigh Valley.

One step at a time

When camp opened, the Guardians were strictly set on Fry returning to catching. They didn’t want him playing first base and the outfield just yet.

Recently he’s been taking ground balls at first base and catching fly balls in the outfield.

“He’s ready,” said manager Stephen Vogt. “We just need to make sure we’re doing it the right way with his arm.”

Finally

When Guardians’ clubbies were loading one of the equipment trucks Friday for its trip back to Cleveland, the temperature was 106 degrees.

San Francisco’s Will Brennan doubled home a run against his old team Saturday in the seventh inning.

Jace LaViolette’s 425-foot homer for the Guardians in the ninth inning Saturday was his first hit in three Cactus League at-bats. He was the Guardians’ No. 1 pick last year.

Starters Slade Cecconi and Joey Cantillo will pitch against Arizona on Monday night so they have enough innings headed into the regular season.

The clock continues to tick on Nolan Jones. The Guardians outrighted him to the minors on Friday, but he could refuse the option and become a free agent.
If he refuses the outright to become a free agent, he’d forfeit his $2 million.

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Guardians

Guardians getting close to adding veteran slugger to roster

Updated: Mar. 22, 2026, 10:57 a.m.|Published: Mar. 22, 2026, 7:15 a.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

GOODYEAR — The Guardians and Rhys Hoskins are nearing a deal that will put him on the 40-man roster so he can open the season Thursday night in Seattle.

Hoskins, 33, is in camp on a minor league contract worth $1.5 million if he makes the team. As an Article XX (B) free agent, Hoskins has three opt-out dates — five days before opening day, May 1 and June 1 — if the Guardians don’t put him on the 40-man roster.

Hoskins is hitting .212 (7 for 33) with three homers, eight RBI and an .831 OPS in 11 games since coming to camp in February. He’s struck out 13 times with five walks.

After missing the 2023 season with the Phillies because of surgery on his left knee, Hoskins spent the last two years with Milwaukee. Last season he hit .227 (66 for 279) with 12 homers and 43 RBI in 90 games.

In his two years with Milwaukee, Hoskins hit 38 homers with 125 RBI.

The Guardians brought Hoskins to camp because he’s a right-handed hitter who can give their lineup some balance and production.

“Rhys has been an unbelievable teammate and a pro since he’s been here,” said manager Stephen Vogt on Saturday. “He’s gotten some great results in the games.

“He’s just a professional hitter. We don’t have too many right-handed bats ... He’s tough to game plan for. He’s a name you circle in the lineup.”

Hoskins, with 186 homers in his career, had his best season with the Phillies in 2018 when he hit .246 (137 for 558) with 34 homers and 96 RBI.

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Encouraging Update Surfaces About Hunter Gaddis

March 22, 2026

By Jimmy Swartz

The Cleveland Guardians are continuing to sort through key roster questions as Opening Day approaches, and one of the more important situations involves Hunter Gaddis.

While there has been uncertainty surrounding his availability, a recent update suggests things may be trending in the right direction.

Gaddis recently appeared in a minor league spring training game, an encouraging step after dealing with forearm discomfort earlier this month.

“Cleveland Guardians RHP Hunter Gaddis did pitch in a minor league spring training game Saturday. Gaddis is likely to start the season on the injured list but it should be a short stay as far as everything continues to progress well in his rehab,” Guardians Perspective wrote.

Gaddis had previously been shut down after reporting tightness, which immediately raised concerns about his status for the regular season. However, imaging results came back clean.

With Opening Day just days away, Cleveland does not need to rush one of its key bullpen arms back into action. Instead, they can allow him to fully work back up to speed while opening opportunities for other relievers to step into larger roles early in the season.

If Gaddis does begin the year on the injured list, pitchers like Shawn Armstrong, Erik Sabrowski, or Matt Festa could see increased roles.


Gaddis has become a valuable piece of their pitching staff, and having him available for the majority of the season will be critical to their success.

While he may not be ready for Opening Day, all signs suggest his absence could be brief.

And if that proves to be the case, the Guardians could soon have one of their key bullpen contributors back in the mix sooner rather than later.

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Festa looks to bring World Baseball Classic flavor to Guardians

9:34 AM CDT

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- In one of his earliest conversations with Guardians teammates upon rejoining them following his World Baseball Classic experience, Matt Festa relayed he’s looking to buy a Lavazza espresso machine to have in Cleveland’s bullpen this season.

Festa pitched for Team Italy at the Classic this year, and among their numerous Italian-themed celebrations, the players would take a shot of espresso in the dugout after one of them hit a home run.

“[I’m a] big espresso guy, big coffee guy. I'm way too caffeinated all the time,” Festa said. “I'm going to buy [a Lavazza machine] for the guys, and hopefully get some of that magic into our bullpen as well.”

Magic permeated Team Italy during the World Baseball Classic this year; the Italians were the talk of the tournament. The fun-loving group bonded over their shared backgrounds while making a surprise run to the semifinals.

Italy went 4-0 in pool play, which included a stunning 8-6 win over Team USA, before it punched its ticket to the quarterfinals with a 9-1 win over Mexico. Team Italy went on to beat Puerto Rico, 8-6, to advance to the semifinals -- where it fell to eventual champion Venezuela, 4-2.

Though they came up just short, Team Italy’s impact was far-reaching. Thanks to their incredible run and endearing energy, the WBC reached millions of viewers across Italy and was the talk of the country’s newspapers. Festa even noted his Instagram comments have lately been full of comments written in Italian.

“We knew that going into pools, we were written off already," Festa said. "But what we accomplished was we kind of grew the game overseas in Italy."

Festa threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in Italy’s 7-4 win over Great Britain during pool play. He allowed four runs across his next two outings, against Team USA and Puerto Rico. But overall, the right-hander noted the tournament was a great way to prepare for the regular season. He equated the atmosphere during Team Italy’s matchup against Venezuela to that of a postseason game.

Festa was the Everyday Man for the Guardians last season. He didn’t make his Cleveland debut until May 2, but finished third on the team in appearances (63) while recording a 4.12 ERA, a 3.14 FIP and a 1.08 WHIP.

“It was crazy, it was so loud,” Festa said of the matchup vs. Venezuela at Miami's loanDepot park. “But my body feels good. I threw a couple times there, threw on one-day's rest. So I’m well built up.”

Festa will look to bring his dependability back to the Guardians’ relief corps this season. Maybe the espresso machine will catch on in Cleveland, or another celebration.

Team Italy’s espresso machine (which is now up for auction) was just one of the fun-loving aspects of its squad. Players would add a decal of their jersey number to the machine after hitting a home run. They would get a double kiss on the cheek with their shot of espresso, and don a blue celebratory jacket after going deep.

If it wasn’t clear, Festa and Team Italy had a lot of fun.

“The double-cheek kiss was a little addition,” Festa said. “I loved that. That was so much fun. We just had fun out there. We love each other. We were brothers."

Tim Stebbins covers the Guardians for MLB.com.

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Festa looks to bring World Baseball Classic flavor to Guardians

9:34 AM CDT

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- In one of his earliest conversations with Guardians teammates upon rejoining them following his World Baseball Classic experience, Matt Festa relayed he’s looking to buy a Lavazza espresso machine to have in Cleveland’s bullpen this season.

Festa pitched for Team Italy at the Classic this year, and among their numerous Italian-themed celebrations, the players would take a shot of espresso in the dugout after one of them hit a home run.

“[I’m a] big espresso guy, big coffee guy. I'm way too caffeinated all the time,” Festa said. “I'm going to buy [a Lavazza machine] for the guys, and hopefully get some of that magic into our bullpen as well.”

Magic permeated Team Italy during the World Baseball Classic this year; the Italians were the talk of the tournament. The fun-loving group bonded over their shared backgrounds while making a surprise run to the semifinals.

Italy went 4-0 in pool play, which included a stunning 8-6 win over Team USA, before it punched its ticket to the quarterfinals with a 9-1 win over Mexico. Team Italy went on to beat Puerto Rico, 8-6, to advance to the semifinals -- where it fell to eventual champion Venezuela, 4-2.

Though they came up just short, Team Italy’s impact was far-reaching. Thanks to their incredible run and endearing energy, the WBC reached millions of viewers across Italy and was the talk of the country’s newspapers. Festa even noted his Instagram comments have lately been full of comments written in Italian.

“We knew that going into pools, we were written off already," Festa said. "But what we accomplished was we kind of grew the game overseas in Italy."

Festa threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in Italy’s 7-4 win over Great Britain during pool play. He allowed four runs across his next two outings, against Team USA and Puerto Rico. But overall, the right-hander noted the tournament was a great way to prepare for the regular season. He equated the atmosphere during Team Italy’s matchup against Venezuela to that of a postseason game.

Festa was the Everyday Man for the Guardians last season. He didn’t make his Cleveland debut until May 2, but finished third on the team in appearances (63) while recording a 4.12 ERA, a 3.14 FIP and a 1.08 WHIP.

“It was crazy, it was so loud,” Festa said of the matchup vs. Venezuela at Miami's loanDepot park. “But my body feels good. I threw a couple times there, threw on one-day's rest. So I’m well built up.”

Festa will look to bring his dependability back to the Guardians’ relief corps this season. Maybe the espresso machine will catch on in Cleveland, or another celebration.

Team Italy’s espresso machine (which is now up for auction) was just one of the fun-loving aspects of its squad. Players would add a decal of their jersey number to the machine after hitting a home run. They would get a double kiss on the cheek with their shot of espresso, and don a blue celebratory jacket after going deep.

If it wasn’t clear, Festa and Team Italy had a lot of fun.

“The double-cheek kiss was a little addition,” Festa said. “I loved that. That was so much fun. We just had fun out there. We love each other. We were brothers."

Tim Stebbins covers the Guardians for MLB.com.

Insider Believes Guardians Prospect Won’t Be In Minors Long

March 22, 2026

By Jimmy Swartz

The Cleveland Guardians may not typically rush their top prospects, but one insider believes that could soon change with Travis Bazzana.

With Opening Day approaching, Bazzana has continued to build momentum following a strong spring training showing and an impressive stretch of recent performances. That has led some to believe his time in the minors could be short-lived.

“Not the Guardians’ style to move players up quickly, but I gotta believe Bazzana won’t be in Columbus long,”

.

— Tom Withers (@twithersCLE) March 21, 2026

The former No. 1 overall pick has put together an eye-catching spring, including a performance where he went 3 for 4 with two home runs and five RBI in a recent game against the San Francisco Giants. Across eight Cactus League games, he is hitting .381 with three home runs and 11 RBI, flashing the talent that made him such a highly regarded prospect.

Even beyond the numbers, his approach at the plate has stood out.

The Guardians have historically been patient with player development, preferring prospects to prove themselves at each level before moving up. However, Bazzana seems ready right now.

He has already shown the ability to hit for both average and power.

If the Guardians find themselves needing an offensive spark early in the season, Bazzana could quickly become one of the most logical options. His ability to impact the game in multiple ways makes him a potential difference-maker, even as a rookie.

There is still a strong chance the team sticks to its original plan and allows him to continue developing at Triple-A for the first part of the season.

But the conversation is clearly shifting.

Instead of asking when he might arrive later in the year, some are now wondering how long the Guardians can realistically keep him in the minors if he continues producing at this level.

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Cleveland Guardians Make Roster Moves With 2 Pitchers

Tommy Wild

Partner

The Cleveland Guardians make roster moves with Pedro Avila and Codi Heuer.

The Cleveland Guardians’ 2026 Opening Day roster is starting to take shape, but the front office is still making moves to add more and more depth throughout the organization.

As Stephen Vogt has mentioned multiple times this spring, the team will use more than 26 players throughout the season. With that in mind, the Guardians made roster moves with two pitchers on Sunday.

Pedro Avila - Signed To Minor League Deal

After being released just a few days back, Pedro Avila is back with the Guardians on a Minor League deal.

The Guardians had originally signed Avila to a split-contract earlier in the offseason, but were informed on Tuesday that he would not be on the Opening Day roster. A day later, Cleveland granted his release, but Avila was back with the organization just four days later.

Avila has pitched 8.1 innings over six games for the Guardians this spring. In those outings, he’s given up 10 hits and three earned runs, to a 3.24 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP.

Of course, Avila played a key role in Cleveland’s elite 2024 bullpen. Even though he won’t be with the team as they head to Seattle to begin the regular season, Avila could certainly be an option later on in the season.

Codi Heuer - Added To 40-Man Roster, Optioned To Triple-A

The Guardians selected the contract of Codi Heuer on Sunday, adding him to the 40-man roster, and then optioned him to Triple-A Columbus.

Cleveland signed Heuer to a Minor League contract in December, which included an invite to big league camp. So far during Spring Training, the reliever has had one of the more underrated camps in the organization.

Heuer has pitched in nine games for the Guardians during Cactus League play and has pitched a 9.00 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP. The number that has really jumped out is that Heuer has a 26.8 percent strike rate this spring.

Like Avila, Heuer could be a key depth piece for Cleveland’s bullpen later this season.

Perhaps the biggest implications of this move are that Cleveland’s 40-man roster is full once again. There was an open spot after Cleveland outrighted Nolan Jones on Friday. If the Guardians plan to add either Rhys Hoskins or Stuart Fairchild to the Opening Day roster, they must open up another spot on the 40-man.

The Guardians still have decisions and moves to make, even after Sunday’s transactions.

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Stephen Vogt Opens Up About Filling Out Last Roster Spots

March 22, 2026

By Jimmy Swartz

The Cleveland Guardians are down to the final days of spring training, and while some roster decisions have already been made, a couple of key spots remain very much up in the air.

Manager Stephen Vogt made it clear that the team is still working through those final decisions, particularly when it comes to the last position player and bullpen spots.

“We still have a lot of balls in the air for the last two roster spots, both position player and bullpen,” Vogt said. “Again, we wanted this. As uncomfortable as these next 4-5 days are going to be, this is what you want, this is what good teams have.”

"Good teams have competitions that go down to the last days. And like I said, there's a lot of balls in the air with different situations, but I really like the way that this roster is coming together."

Stephen Vogt on filling the team's final roster spots @WEWS pic.twitter.com/iCUqFFIDk6

— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) March 21, 2026

Multiple players have made strong cases throughout camp, which has turned what could have been straightforward decisions into difficult ones.

“And like I said, there’s a lot of balls in the air with different situations,” Vogt continued. “But I really like the way that this roster is coming together.”

Perhaps the biggest development over the past few days is that it has become increasingly clear that Rhys Hoskins is going to make this roster. What once felt like a situation to monitor has quickly turned into an expectation.

Hoskins was brought into camp to provide balance to a lineup that leans heavily left-handed, and he has done enough to show he can fill that role. Beyond the numbers, the Guardians clearly value what he brings as a veteran presence and a professional bat in the middle of the order.

“Rhys has been an unbelievable teammate and a pro since he’s been here,” Vogt said. “He’s gotten some great results in the games. He’s just a professional hitter. We don’t have too many right handed bats. He’s tough to game plan for. He’s a name you circle in the lineup.”

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3 Guardians players who need to have a hot start to 2026

By Zach Martin

7 hours ago

We're less than a week away from Opening Day, which means the Guardians are set to begin their quest to three-peat as American League Central Champions. While some people are once again counting them out once again, it's hard to overlook the success they've had over the past two seasons.

That said, if they want to win another division title, they're going to need to come out of the gates in their series against the Mariners and Dodgers. Here are three players who could determine whether or not the Guardians start the season on the right foot.

The Guardians have a tough opening week of the season

Tanner Bibee

While Bibee struggled last season, it seems like he's ready to step up and return to ace status in 2026.

Bibee finished last year a 12-11 record and4.14 ERA in 182 1/3 innings of work. Althought he did manage to strike out 162 batters over the course of the season, he was pretty inconsistent.

Bibee was lights out over his first two seasons and combined for a 3.25 ERA with 328 strikeouts in 315 2/3 innings, and him re-finding that form early in the season would go a long way to helping him build back his confidence.

Chase DeLauter

At this point, it's safe to assume that everyone in the Guardians' organization is hoping Delauter can stay healthy and make a massive impact in 2026. He's done just that so far at spring training, as he's 11-for-28 with home run and six RBI. with a .393/.433/.643 slashline.

His eye at the plate, plus his power potential, is something that has everyone buzzing in Cleveland. It seems like DeLauter is going to make the Guardians' Opening Day roster and it likely won't take long for him to make a positive impression.

DeLauter getting off to a hot start could help the Guardians in a variety of ways. His power and extra-base hit potential would give Stephen Vogt some protection around José Ramírez.

Kyle Manzardo

While DeLauter has a ton of power potential, Manzardo has spent most of the past two seasons showing the Guardians exactly how much power he has. A hot start from him could go a long way toward the Guardians' lineup being even better in 2026.

While Manzardo did hit 27 home runs last season, he struck out 135 times and hit just .234. There's some clear improvement needed so that way he doesn't become an unbalanced power hitter.

The Guardian asked him to put on some muscle in the offseason and he answered the call, so there's a good chance he could flirt with the 30 home run mark this season.

Although Manzardo will be in a platoon at first base with Rhys Hoskins, he should still be in the lineup almost everyday.

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Codi Heuer to the 40-man roster

Guardians Select Codi Heuer, Re-Sign Pedro Avila To MiLB Deal

By Nick Deeds | at March 22, 2026 12:37pm CDT MLBTR

The Guardians announced this afternoon that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Codi Heuer and optioned him to Triple-A. The Guardians had space available on their 40-man roster, so a corresponding move was not necessary to complete the transaction. In addition, the club announced that they’ve re-signed right-hander Pedro Avila to a minor league deal.

Heuer, 29, was a sixth-round pick by the White Sox back in 2018. He made it to the majors with Chicago during the shortened 2020 campaign an impressed with a 1.52 ERA in 21 appearances, but struggled early in the 2021 season. He was ultimately shipped across town to the Cubs as part of the Craig Kimbrel/Nick Madrigal trade at the 2021 trade deadline, and seemed to regain some of his earlier success upon arriving in Chicago with a 3.14 ERA in 25 appearances down the stretch. Heuer was in strong position to be a key piece of the bullpen on the north side of Chicago as they entered their rebuild.

That wasn’t meant to be, however, as Spring Training 2022 set off a series of injury-marred campaigns for the right-hander. Heuer underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022 and followed that up by suffering a broken elbow midway through the 2023 season, while he was still rehabbing from surgery. He made just 15 appearances total from 2022-24 before finally returning to health as a member of the Rangers in 2025. Between the Rangers and Tigers organizations, Heuer posted a 3.14 ERA in 48 2/3 innings of work at the Triple-A level and struck out 30.5% of his opponents. The results at the major league level didn’t return right away, however, and the righty surrendered three runs, all earned across 4 2/3 innings in the majors last year.

He returned to the open market this offseason and caught on with the Guardians on a minor league deal. He struggled this spring, with a 9.00 ERA in eight innings of work, but did strike out 11 against five walks. It was an intriguing enough performance to Cleveland that they decided to add him to their 40-man roster before the season begins, though Heuer will still begin the year at Triple-A as an up-and-down depth option rather than as part of the Opening Day roster. If Heuer can produce at a level similar to what he offered at Triple-A last year, it seems like a safe bet to expect to see him in the majors with the Guardians sometime this year.

In other Guardians bullpen news, right-hander Pedro Avila is returning to the club on a minor league pact after previously being released by the club to pursue other opportunities when he did not make the roster. Avila evidently decided that his best opportunity to make it back to the majors is with Cleveland on a minor league pact, and so he’ll head to Triple-A alongside Heuer and wait for a big league opportunity as a non-roster veteran. Avila has five years of major league experience under his belt, mostly with the Padres, but joined the Guardians during the 2024 season and posted a solid 3.25 ERA across 50 appearances for the club. He spent 2025 with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yakult Swallows before returning to the Guardians on a split contract back in December. He pitched solidly in Spring Training, with a 3.24 ERA across 8 1/3 innings of work, but his paltry 11.8% strikeout rate likely stopped the Guardians from including him in their Opening Day roster mix.

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