Cleveland Sports Forum

Bo Naylor’s swing change has the Guardians buzzing — is this finally the year he becomes a star?

Updated: Feb. 24, 2026, 10:42 a.m.|Published: Feb. 24, 2026, 10:35 a.m.

By Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — There is a moment in almost every talented player’s career when all the coaching, all the tweaking, and all the well-intentioned advice piling up from every corner of the organization becomes more of a burden than a blueprint. For Bo Naylor, that moment may have been the turning point that’s now unleashing one of the most exciting breakout stories of 2025 spring training.

The Guardians’ catcher has been one of the early standouts of Cactus League play, posting a .750 average with a 2.050 OPS through his first two appearances. The raw numbers are staggering. But even more striking — and more telling for Naylor’s long-term trajectory — is the way he looks doing it.

The latest episode of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast with cleveland.com beat reporters Joe Noga and Paul Hoynes gives listeners an on-the-ground look at exactly what has changed for Naylor this spring. The conversation is one that every Cleveland fan who has been waiting on this kid to break through needs to hear.

A simpler swing, a bigger future

The mechanical changes are immediately noticeable to anyone who has watched Naylor at the plate in previous seasons. The pronounced high leg kick that had become a defining — and at times destabilizing — feature of his pre-swing routine? Gone. Or at least dramatically reduced. What’s replaced it is a cleaner, more direct approach that Noga spotted right away.

“The point here is Bo Naylor looks and feels very comfortable at the plate right now. He’s sort of eliminated that high leg kick. His swing is a little more compact and a little quicker,” Noga said on the podcast.

A quicker, more compact swing means less room for mechanical failure in a fraction of a second. It means better plate coverage. It means more consistent, hard contact. For a player with Naylor’s raw power and athleticism, a simplified approach could be the difference between a solid starter and a legitimate offensive force at one of the game’s most demanding positions.

Stephen Vogt is calling his shot

Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt isn’t quietly hoping for a big year from his catcher — he’s saying it out loud. And Hoynes, who has covered this franchise through multiple playoff runs, says the vibe around Naylor feels genuinely different heading into this season.

“He looks loose and free. Vogt has said he thinks this is going to be a breakout season for Naylor...” Hoynes said on the podcast.

Loose and free. Those are two words that should make opposing pitchers uncomfortable. A hitter who isn’t fighting himself at the plate, who isn’t second-guessing every pitch sequence, who isn’t carrying the accumulated weight of unmet expectations into every at-bat — that’s a dangerous hitter. That appears to be exactly the version of Naylor showing up in Goodyear this spring.

Learning to trust himself

So what actually sparked the change? Hoynes offered a theory on the podcast that rings true for anyone who has ever been buried under too much information at the wrong moment: Naylor finally stopped sorting through everyone else’s input and started trusting his own instincts.

“He’s one of those guys that maybe got over-coached a little bit. He was listening to a lot of different people and finally, he just kind of took a deep breath and said let’s do it my way here. Take everything I’ve learned and just kind of free my mind up and swing the bat,” Hoynes said.

It’s a story as old as the game itself. A highly-touted prospect arrives in the majors and suddenly has a chorus of voices telling him to adjust this, tweak that, think about the other thing. The result is paralysis by analysis — a hitter who is so busy processing that he can no longer react. The talent is there. The noise drowns it out.

Naylor, who hit .290 in September last season and delivered a series of clutch, high-leverage hits as the Guardians pushed for the postseason, seems to have finally found the filter. He absorbed what was useful, discarded what wasn’t, and rebuilt his approach from scratch — his way.

The potential has always been there

For context, Naylor slugged 14 home runs last season — placing him in the top five on the club during a year when Cleveland’s offense was not a strength. His late-season surge wasn’t luck; it was a preview. The talent that made him a first-round pick hasn’t disappeared. It’s been waiting for this kind of clarity.

If the Naylor who is showing up in Goodyear — simplified swing, free mind, confident approach — is the one who takes the field for a full 162-game season, this Guardians offense has a dangerous new dimension.

To hear Noga and Hoynes break down the full Bo Naylor story — the mechanics, the mindset, and why this spring feels so different — catch the latest episode of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. The breakout season may have already begun.

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José Ramírez is already the most dangerous man in Guardians camp — and it has nothing to do with his bat

Updated: Feb. 24, 2026, 10:42 a.m.|Published: Feb. 24, 2026, 10:42 a.m.

By Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — What does it take to walk into a clubhouse and make every single teammate feel like the most important guy in the room? For José Ramírez, it comes as naturally as hitting baseballs into the Arizona desert sky.

The Guardians have opened their Cactus League schedule with a 4-0 record, and while the wins have been a welcome sight, a compelling storyline emerging from Goodyear this spring isn’t just about what’s happening between the lines — it’s about what’s happening in the clubhouse before and after the games. And it all centers on No. 11.

The latest episode of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, featuring cleveland.com beat reporters Joe Noga and Paul Hoynes, dives deep into Ramírez’s early spring, and the picture they paint is one of a player who doesn’t just lead by example — he leads by intention, by awareness, and by making every single teammate feel valued.

The response heard around Goodyear

Coming off a massive contract extension signed in the offseason, there were natural questions about how Ramírez would arrive to camp after a winter that was far from routine. A fourth child on the way kept him in Cleveland for much of the offseason, meaning the meticulous training regimen he usually follows was interrupted. You’d never know it from what he did Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Ramírez went 2 for 3 with a double, a home run, and four RBIs in a 9-5 victory. But the home run wasn’t just a home run — it was a statement. Earlier in the game, he crushed a ball that everyone in the park thought was gone, only to have it ruled a ground-rule double. His answer the next time up? Same spot. Elevated. No doubt.

Noga captured the moment perfectly on the podcast: “Yeah, it sounded like it was typical José fashion. Well, if you’re going to call this first one a double, I’m going to erase all doubt with the second one and put it well out of the ballpark for a home run there.”

That’s not just talent. That’s a mentality. That’s the kind of icy, calculated response that makes teammates believe in themselves because they believe in him first.

No cliques. No exceptions.

But the most illuminating moments Hoynes shared on the podcast weren’t about home runs at all. They were about the quiet, consistent ways Ramírez makes the entire Guardians roster feel like a team rather than a collection of individuals.

“He’s still the focal point of that team and he’s in good spirits. When he walks in that clubhouse, he’s talking to everybody. Everybody kind of gravitates toward him. There’s no clicks when it comes to José. He talks to everyone and he just kind of fires everybody up,” Hoynes said.

No cliques. That detail is impossible to overstate. In a professional baseball clubhouse — where veterans, prospects, roster bubble players, and stars all share the same space — the natural tendency is for groups to form along invisible lines. Ramírez refuses to allow it. He talks to everyone. He energizes everyone. He makes it about the team, every day, without exception.

‘Jonesy’s back’

Perhaps the most telling anecdote from the podcast is a small one. When Nolan Jones had a big game against the Milwaukee Brewers last weekend, Ramírez walked into the locker room the very next day with a declaration that meant more than any box score.

“José, walks into the locker room and said, ‘Nolan Jones is back. Jonesy’s back,’” Hoynes recalled.

Two words. Massive impact. Public recognition from the best player in the building has a way of changing the trajectory of a teammate’s confidence — and Ramírez knows it. He sees everything. And he makes sure everyone knows he’s paying attention.

The foundation is set

With a new contract, a new child, and an interrupted offseason, every excuse was available for Ramírez to ease into spring. Instead, he’s come out swinging — literally and figuratively. The Guardians are 4-0, their franchise player looks locked in, and the clubhouse is clearly feeding off his energy from day one.

To hear Noga and Hoynes break down exactly why this version of Ramírez might be more dangerous than ever, tune into the latest episode of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. This is the episode that sets the tone for the entire season — don’t miss it.

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Tanner Bibee is done carrying the weight of his contract — a dominant spring debut signals his fresh start

Updated: Feb. 24, 2026, 10:46 a.m.|Published: Feb. 24, 2026, 10:43 a.m.

By Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The contract was supposed to be a reward. Instead, for a stretch of the 2024 season, it became an anchor.

Tanner Bibee arrived at last year’s spring training as one of the most exciting young starters in the American League, fresh off a five-year extension that signaled the Cleveland Guardians believed he was a genuine cornerstone of their rotation for years to come. What followed was one of the most instructive — and in many ways, most human — storylines of the entire season: a talented pitcher who let the invisible weight of elevated expectations push him into trying to be more than he was ready to be.

But that was then. The 2026 version of Tanner Bibee showed up to the Guardians camp with a clean slate. On Monday he tossed two scoreless innings against the Diamondbacks, and came away with something even more valuable — a clear head.

The latest episode of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast with cleveland.com beat reporters Joe Noga and Paul Hoynes digs into what Bibee’s spring debut really means and why the mental reset is every bit as significant as the numbers on the mound.

His own words: ‘I didn’t handle either one’

The most powerful part of the Bibee conversation on the podcast is the level of self-awareness he’s brought to his own struggles. This isn’t a player making excuses or deflecting blame. This is a young pitcher who looked in the mirror, made an honest accounting of what went wrong, and walked out of the offseason with a sharper understanding of himself.

Hoynes, who spoke with Bibee directly after his first spring outing, relayed the pitcher’s candid self-assessment on the podcast: “He said there was adversity I could control and adversity I couldn’t control, and I didn’t really do a good job of handling either one. But he said he finally got kind of came to terms with it in the second half of the season and he really pitched well down the stretch.”

Owning both types of failure — the controllable and the uncontrollable — is not easy. It’s also not common. That level of intellectual honesty about his own performance is a sign of genuine growth, and the numbers bore it out. Bibee went 3-and-0 with a 1.30 ERA in his final four starts of the regular season, including a five-game winning streak after the All-Star break. The talent was never gone. It was buried under pressure that had no business sitting on a pitcher’s shoulders.

The contract that became a burden

So how did it start? Hoynes pointed to an unlikely culprit — the extension itself. The same deal designed to reward Bibee’s early brilliance and secure his future ended up creating a psychological burden that quietly warped his approach on the mound, pushing him to reach for something beyond his current capacity.

“He did say the extension that he signed in spring training, that five year extension, maybe put a little extra pressure on him, made him try to do more than he was capable of doing as a pitcher. But I think he’s come to terms with that and he looked great yesterday,” Hoynes said on the podcast.

It’s a paradox baseball players face more often than the public realizes. A big contract tells a pitcher the organization believes in him — but it also silently raises the bar for what he must deliver every single time out. For Bibee, the solution wasn’t trying harder. It was trying smarter. It was trusting his arsenal rather than trying to be a version of himself he wasn’t yet ready to become.

Mental coaching clicks into place

The Guardians have invested meaningfully in mental performance resources for their players, and for Bibee, those investments appear to have paid off in the back half of 2025 — and are carrying forward into this spring. Noga pointed to this evolution on the podcast as the critical piece of Bibee’s resurgence.

“All of the mental performance coaching that goes into getting some of these guys through the season seems to have clicked in and paid off. And now Bibee comes back this year with a clean slate,” Noga said.

Clean slate. Two words that carry enormous weight for a pitcher who spent a significant stretch of last season fighting a battle on the inside as much as the one on the mound. And if his Cactus League debut is any indication — seven batters faced, two scoreless innings, one hit, one strikeout — the reset is genuine.

Why it matters for Cleveland

The Guardians’ rotation ambitions in 2026 rest heavily on Bibee and Gavin Williams delivering at the top of the rotation. If Bibee is the pitcher he flashed the potential to be — the one dominant enough to earn a five-year deal before age 25 — Cleveland’s starting staff can be one of the most formidable in the AL. If last year’s struggles carry over, the math gets considerably harder.

Everything about the early returns from Goodyear suggests the former scenario is far more likely. A pitcher who has genuinely processed his adversity, simplified his mindset, and arrived to camp with an authentic fresh start is one of the most dangerous commodities in spring training baseball.

Want the full story, straight from the reporters who covered every start of Bibee’s difficult season and were there when he broke it all down this spring? Listen to the latest episode of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast — this is the storyline you’ll be talking about all the way to October.

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Chase DeLauter scratched from Guardians’ lineup for Wednesday’s game

Updated: Feb. 25, 2026, 3:57 p.m.|Published: Feb. 25, 2026, 3:25 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Outfielder Chase DeLauter, a key to a Guardians offense looking to rebound from a dismal 2025, was scratched from Wednesday’s starting lineup against Texas with lower body soreness.

Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, said it was done for precautionary reasons. DeLauter has been hounded by injuries since the Guardians made him a first-round pick in 2022.

DeLauter is off to a good start this spring, hitting .500 (3 for 6) with one RBI in two games.

The Guardians said DeLauter’s soreness was caused by “heavy on-the-field” activity. Headed into spring training, manager Stephen Vogt said the Guardians would do everything in their power to get DeLauter through spring training healthy.

DeLauter’s last spring training was ruined by a sports hernia operation. Later that season he underwent surgery for a broken hamate bone in his right hand.

Petey Halpin replaced DeLauter in right field. Second baseman Brayan Rocchio moved into DeLauter’s No. 2 spot in the lineup.

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Shawn Armstrong should help bullpen with arm, experience: Guardians takeaways

Updated: Feb. 25, 2026, 6:48 p.m.|Published: Feb. 25, 2026, 6:16 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Right-hander Shawn Armstrong has seven full seasons in the big leagues. Manager Stephen Vogt likes that experience because some key arms in his bullpen are young.

“He’s been through a lot,” said Vogt. “He’s been through pretty much every up and down you can have as a reliever. So, just to have that experience and that knowledge to help our bullpen, which is very young, is important.”

Vogt said veteran Paul Sewald filled the same role last year.

“You think about Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis ... they’re only going into in their third full season as backend relievers,” said Vogt. “It’s not a lot of experience.”

The Guardians spent most of the winter trying to strengthen the bullpen because of the federal indictment filed against closer Emmanuel Clase for conspiring with gamblers to throw fixed pitches during games. Armstrong, 35, was their biggest expenditure, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $5.5 million. The deal included an $8 million mutual option for 2027 with a $1.5 million buyout.

Armstrong made his first appearance of the spring Wednesday against Texas, his old team. He threw a scoreless third inning, retiring the side in order, in the Guardians’ 11-4 spring-training loss.

Last season Armstrong went 4-3 with a 2.31 ERA and nine saves in 71 appearances for the Rangers. The opposition hit .157 against him as he struck out 74 and walked 20 in 74 innings.

Cleveland drafted Armstrong in the 18th round in 2011. Since his first tour in Cleveland, he has pitched for Seattle, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, the Cubs and Texas.

Right-hander Trevor Stephan also made his first appearance of the spring on Wednesday. He pitched a scoreless sixth inning but needed a strong throw from behind third base by Jose Ramirez to get out of trouble and end the inning.

Stephan, who underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in the spring of 2024, has not pitched in the big leagues since 2023.

“It was good to see Stephan back out there again,” said Vogt.

Spring training mirage

Right-hander Cameron Schuelke isn’t on the 40-man roster. He isn’t even a spring-training invitee, but he is a member of the depth camp and he’s made an impression.

Schuelke throws from three different arms slots: Overhand, sidearm and submarine. The style earned him a win on Saturday in the Guardians’ 4-2 split-squad win over Cincinnati. On Tuesday, however, in an 11-3 loss to the Dodgers he walked three in one-third of an inning.

Some may say Schuelke’s delivery looks like an arm injury waiting to happen, but Vogt said it shows athleticism.

“You have to be really athletic to do that,” said Vogt. “He’s throwing over the top, sidearm and down under.”

Asked if Schuelke was risking an arm injury, Vogt said, “No, guys who throw like that are really throwing overhand, they’re just moving their torso. Guys like Tyler Rogers are really throwing overhand, but they’re just bent over.”

Daniel Espino threw batting practice Wednesday. One of the hitters facing him was newly signed Rhys Hoskins.

Espino, who has made one appearance in the minors since 2022 because of injuries, showed good velocity and curveball. Hoskins signed a minor-league deal with an invitation to big league camp. If he makes the club, he’ll receive a base pay of $1.5 million. He can earn another $1.2 million in bonuses based on plate appearances.

Finally

LHP Joey Cantillo (0-0, 13.50) vs. Seattle and RHP Bryce Miller on Thursday at 3:10 p.m. ET. Guardians TV (Seattle feed) and WTAM/1100 will carry the game ... Matt Festa, Tim Herrin, Pedro Avila, Doug Nikhazy, Ryan Webb and Tommy Mace are scheduled to follow Cantillo on Thursday.

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Guardians’ Steven Kwan passes first test in center, and there are more coming

Updated: Feb. 25, 2026, 7:05 p.m.|Published: Feb. 25, 2026, 7:03 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — There used to be one constant in the Guardians’ outfield — Steven Kwan.

He played left field like he was born there and has the Gold Gloves — four of them — to prove it. Now he’s just another piece on manager Stephen Vogt’s chessboard.

When Vogt says anybody can play anywhere in Cleveland’s outfield, he’s not kidding.

Kwan, a two-time All-Star, made his first start in center field on Wednesday at Goodyear Ballpark in the Guardians’ 11-4 loss to Texas. He played five innings, and as these things sometimes go, he didn’t have one fly ball hit to him.

He did have four singles hit his way and handled them all cleanly. In the fourth inning, he fielded a single by Mark Canha with two on and prevented a run from scoring with a strong throw to the cutoff man.

As spring-training center field debuts go for the Guardians, it could have been worse. In the spring of 2023, the Guardians tried to move career infielder Amed Rosario to center field. In a March 7 Cactus League game against the Angels, Rosario made three errors in the first three innings that led to eight unearned runs.

To add extra sting to the performance, the errors came with ace Shane Bieber on the mound. Manager Terry Francona took the blame after the game, but Rosario wore the scars.

The Guardians have eight outfielders on the 40-man roster and three more on minor league deals with spring training invitations to big league camp. They have three more outfielders stashed in their depth camp and Wednesday, utility man Daniel Schneemann replaced Kwan in left and started a 7-6-2 relay to throw out a runner at the plate.

“It will be fun to watch Kwan and just kind of see where it goes,” said Vogt before the game. “Kwanie is one of the best outfielders in baseball and I think wherever we put him, he’s going to be good.

“It’s just a matter of how does this help the puzzle fit with the rest of the roster?”

Vogt said Kwan will stay in center field for the next few games.

“I think it was Hedgie (Austin Hedges) who said, ‘Weird, Kwan is good in center field, too,’” said Vogt. “It was a good first day for Kwanie. He’s got to get a lot of reps out there if we’re going to do that.

“We know he can play left field. For Kwanie it’s about getting as many looks as possible in center field.”

Kwan said he is excited about the prospect of playing center. He played it in college and the minors.

“I’m really excited,” said Kwan before the game. “Just being able to go into the game and use what we’ve been practicing will be really exciting.”

Kwan said getting familiar with his angles to the ball will be one of the biggest challenges.

“The angles will be the biggest thing,” said Kwan, who played center in college and the minors. “Getting a good jump, committing to the jump is important. I don’t have the blazing speed, but I can make up for it with a good read and convergence.”

The good thing is that balls hit to center field offer easier reads than those hit to left and right field.

“The ball has a truer flight,” said Kwan. “From the corners, talking about a righty, you don’t know if a guy got around it or he stayed inside it and it’s going to have that hook or tail to it.

“In center you get that read a lot earlier. Yes, you have to run a little farther, but it makes it easier.”

Kwan is realistic about the move. That’s why he wanted as many fly balls hit to him as possible on Wednesday.

“We need a stress test as much as possible,” said Kwan. “I’m really excited about it, but at the end of the day if we find out I’m hurting the team in center field, we have to find that out as soon as possible.”

The Guardians have played only six spring-training games and already their outfield could be in flux. Chase DeLauter, scheduled to start in right field Wednesday, was scratched before game time with “lower body” soreness. The Guardians said it was a precautionary move, and they may be right. But with DeLauter’s injury history, it may be more than that.

“DeLauter came in from the (morning) workout saying he was really sore from the on-field-work,” said Vogt. “This early in spring, we’re being really cautious with it.

“We don’t anticipate him missing too much time. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. He wasn’t supposed to play tomorrow anyway.”

In Wednesday’s game, Slade Cecconi started and pitched two scoreless innings. He allowed three hits with one strikeout.

Jose Ramirez hit his second homer of the spring, a drive to right in the sixth inning. The Guardians finished with 10 hits, but no one had more than one.

Codi Heuer allowed five runs on three hits in 1/3 of an inning to take the loss.

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Tanner Bibee seems prepared to be Guardians’ ace after 'up-and-down' showing in 2025

By Henry Palattella

2 hours ago

Tanner Bibee’s 2025 season was one of peaks and valleys.

After reaching a career peak last spring via a five-year, $48 million extension, Bibee posted a 4.29 ERA in a first half which also having sevens starts where he allowed 4+ runs.

But then things turned around in the second half, so much so that Bibee finished the year with a 1.30 ERA in four September starts.

Now the 26-year-old is in the second year of that aforementioned extension and seemingly ready to handle the pressure put upon his shoulders.

Tanner Bibee seems ready to lead the Guardians’ rotation in 2026

Earlier this week Bibee made his spring debut, where he threw two scoreless innings with one strikeout in Clevleand’s win over the Diamondbacks. Afterwards he held court with the team’s beat in Arizona, where he provided some insight into the pressure he put upon himself last season.

“I did sign a contract ... maybe I put the pressure on myself to want to pitch better than I already was instead of just being who I was,” Bibee said, per Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes. “So, I feel like I could have been doing that pretty early (in the season), for sure.

Bibee also told reporters that he felt his 2025 campaign was a “super up-and-down season,” which was evident to anyone watching.

Early in the year Bibee struggled in all the areas that had brought him success early in his career. His strikeout rate was down, his walk rate was up and at one point he was giving up an eye-popping 2.45 home runs per nine innings.

But it seemed like he found his confidence as the season went on (or stopped feeling so much pressure to live up to his contract) and started attacking the zone again as opposed to nibbling and getting behind in counts.

His second half renaissance coincided with the Guardians starting their historic comeback for the American League Central title, which was a classic case of a riding tide lifting all boats in Cleveland’s rotation.

While Bibee only made four starts in that time period thanks to the Guardians shifting to a six-man rotation, he was lights out in all of them and even threw a shutout against the White Sox. In total, the Guardians rotation finished September with an American League-leading 2.60 ERA.

Bibee also excelled in the 4 2/3 innings he threw in his lone postseason start against the Tigers, which ended up being Cleveland’s only October win.

He should get plenty of chances to take the ball this season thanks to the team going back to a five-man rotation, and he and Gavin Wiliams will make up one of the best 1-2 punches in the American League.

Last season Bibee missed out a chance to be the Guardians’ Opening Day starter after he was sidelined with acute gastroenteritis.

If everything goes to plan this season, he should be on the mound for the Guardians when they open their season against the Mariners on March 26.

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Guardians Spring Training Early Hot Takes

Fire ‘em off, Stephen A!

by Quincy Wheeler

Feb 25, 2026, 10:21 AM CST

We have seen one week of Spring Training games, so we know all we need to know!

-Chase DeLauter has to make this team and has to be given every opportunity to stay healthy and in the lineup.

-Travis Bazzana is the best option at second base already. We won’t see him until May at the earliest. They will use April to evaluate which of Gabriel Arias and Brayan Rocchio they want to be the team’s shortstop when Bazzana is brought up to play second base.

-I am looking to be very wrong about Juan Brito so far, as he presses both in the plate and at the field. I do think the team is right to challenge him to prove himself as a first base-third base-second base-left/right field utility guy as it is the best way for him to impact the current roster, but I do wonder if it would be better to just have him compete for the second base job in spring, and then move him into more of the utility role in Columbus if he misses out on that opportunity. I can’t deny that the player who pulls fly balls and doesn’t whiff hasn’t shown up in spring, but it’s early and I do think he is letting the weight of the opportunity get to him.

-CJ Kayfus is only playing first base, so far, so it appears he is the player who will be in Columbus as depth, provided that DeLauter and George Valera stay healthy. Folks will be upset by this, but Kayfus is the kind of depth a playoff team should have on hand.

-I will be carefully monitoring if David Fry ends up playing any outfield by the end of camp, or if the team indicates he can start playing outfield during the year. Fry being able to fill in for left or right field would be huge for roster flexibility.

-Connor Brogdon looks like the real deal. Colin Holderman has an option and looks like he’ll need it to work on stuff in Columbus.

-I think Codi Heuer or Kolby Allard will make the roster while Tim Herrin will start the year in Columbus, if only to have some LHP depth in the bullpen.

-Peyton Pallette must have some sort of injury, as our intrepid insider TexasTribe reported, as he has yet to get in a game. It will be interesting if the Guardians can keep him on the IL to start the season and so preserve a lengthier time to take a look at their Rule 5 pick.

-Valera looks back with a vengeance and ready to secure a roster spot.

-Stuart Fairchild looks like a major league ballplayer. Angel Martinez does not. Martinez has an option, so expect Angel to open in Columbus and Fairchild to get a look as the fourth outfielder who hits right-handed, first.

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Does Kwan have the chops for CF? Ask his outfield coach

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- With runners on first and second and one out in the fourth inning on Wednesday, Steven Kwan fielded a single by Mark Canha and fired a strike toward home plate. The throw (which was cut off by first baseman CJ Kayfus) allowed the Guardians to temporarily keep the Rangers off the scoreboard.

“I think it was Hedgey [catcher Austin Hedges] who goes, ‘Weird. Kwan’s good at center field, too,’” manager Stephen Vogt said.

A four-time Gold Glove Award winner in left field, Kwan is taking reps in center this spring in a potential step toward him playing there during the regular season. The 28-year-old made his first appearance there this spring in Wednesday’s 11-4 loss to the Rangers at Goodyear Ballpark.

Kwan played five innings in center before his day of work was complete. He fielded four Rangers singles, but did not have any fly balls hit his way. Amid the excitement he felt pregame over his spring debut in center, Kwan recognizes he’ll need a steady diet of opportunities.

“I think we need to stress test as much as possible,” Kwan said. “The biggest thing is, obviously I'm really excited. But at the end of the day, if we find out that I'm hurting the team being in center, then we need to find that out sooner than later.”

Trusting in Kwan’s track record will tell you this will work. This is a new opportunity for him, but it’s not new territory. Before his limited duty in center in the Majors (eight games), he made 152 appearances there in the Minors and played the position extensively in college.

Kwan isn’t a novice in center. Guardians outfield and baserunning coach JT Maguire knows that as well as anyone. He has had an intimate perspective on Kwan’s career. Maguire did MLB Draft assessments on him while Kwan played collegiately at Oregon State and later coached Kwan in the Minor Leagues -- including a stint as his bench coach with Triple-A Columbus in 2021.

“So I know Steven Kwan as a center fielder,” Maguire said. “I also know him as a left fielder. So I was pretty pumped when he approached us about wanting to play center field, because I've always known that he can play it.”

The key this spring is Kwan reacquainting himself with the nuances of playing center and tapping into his muscle memory.

“It's really just like getting his feet back to where he used to be,” Magiure said. “I wouldn't say relearning the position, because he still knows how to play it. He just hasn't played it for the last five years.”

Maguire noted Kwan has been taking a lot of live reads in center during batting practice this spring. Their work has been focused on areas that Kwan hasn’t been exposed to while playing left field. A center fielder has to track balls hit in the gap to both their left and right. Left fielders do not have a gap on their right due to the presence of the foul line.

Kwan has also become an expert at playing balls off Progressive Field’s 19-foot wall in left field. But he’ll experience more longer-ranging plays in center due to the two gaps, and must get his body prepared for those moments. Communication will be crucial, given he’ll have a player on each side of him, and the flight on balls hit to center varies compared to the corners.

“From the corners, you don't know if the guy got around it,” Kwan said. “You don’t know if a righty got around or stayed inside of it, [if] it's gonna have that hook or the tail to it. Center field, you get that read a lot earlier. Yeah, you’ve got to run a little further, but that makes it easier.”

What we know will translate from left to center is Kwan’s arm accuracy and his reaction time. According to Statcast, Kwan’s jump was above average last season. He covered 0.5 feet more in the right direction within the first three seconds after a pitch was released. That was tied for 31st among 93 qualifying outfielders.

“He's elite in his jumps and his reactions,” Maguire said. “He's elite in his first-step efficiency.”

Kwan and the Guardians will gain more information with each appearance he makes in center this spring. But he has a foundation to build upon to succeed here.

“In the back of my head, I always knew that he could still play it,” Maguire said. “So it's cool that he wants to play that position and test himself out of it. And if it works out in Spring Training, awesome.”

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DeLauter (lower body soreness) scratched for precautionary reasons

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Guardians have noted on several occasions they intend to be mindful about Chase DeLauter’s workload this spring due to his injury history. That plan came into action during Wednesday’s Cactus League matchup against the Rangers.

DeLauter was a late scratch from the Guardians’ lineup against Texas due to lower body soreness, stemming from heavy on-field activity to open camp, according to the team. It was considered precautionary.

DeLauter (who’s ranked as the No. 46 prospect in the Majors by MLB Pipeline) was set to start in right field and hit second, which would have marked his third appearance this spring. Petey Halpin instead drew the start in right

“DeLauter came in from the workout and said he was really sore, just from all the on-field work,” Vogt said. “Obviously this early in spring, we’re just being really cautious with it. We don't anticipate him missing too much time.”

Vogt said DeLauter will not play on Thursday against the Mariners, but he was not scheduled to anyway. Wednesday was going to continue an early trend of him playing every other day this spring. The Guardians now will see how DeLauter feels on Thursday and reassess him at that point.

Even a precautionary situation such as Wednesday may cause Guardians fans to hold their breath. DeLauter could be a key contributor to Cleveland's lineup this season. But he has been limited to 138 career games in the Minor Leagues since being selected him 16th overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, and has missed extensive time due to tough injury luck.

Last season, DeLauter played in 42 games while undergoing core muscle surgery in March and surgery in July to repair a fractured hamate in his right wrist. Of course, he went on to make his big league debut in the AL Wild Card Series. He started in center field in Games 2 and 3.

Some of DeLauter’s past injuries have been flukey in nature, and he noted at the start of camp he wants to show this year that he can play a full season. The Guardians are excited about the potential impact he could have in the Majors this year, but will continue to be thoughtful about his ramp-up this spring as Cactus League play continues.

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"lower body soreness" Is that his feet injury recurring? or his lower abdomen obliques again?
Chase made it through 2 games healthy which is a pretty good stretch for him. He seems remarkably unlikely to have a healthy career. Hoping I;m wrong.
The other oft-injured [Valera, Bazzana, Brito] have made through a week or two in camp in good shape, so far.

Cody Heuer yesterday was as ineffective as Holderman the day before.
Haven't seen Allard yet. I understand they hold back Smith and Gaddis. But is Allard healthy? Is Sabrowski?