CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan left Saturday’s 7-1 win over the Angels in the fourth inning with left hamstring tightness.
According to Cleveland’s President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti, Kwan had an MRI on Sunday morning. The team is still waiting on the results as he continues to get assessed by Cleveland’s medical team. It's expected that he’ll be placed on the 10-day injured list.
The short-term solution in Sunday’s series finale against the Angels saw Will Brennan in left field. Ramon Laureano moved to right field, with Estevan Florial batting leadoff and serving as the team’s designated hitter.
The long-term solution is expected to be the call-up of the team’s number two prospect Kyle Manzardo.
“Now if it looks like Steven’s going to be out for a while, we’ll have at-bats,” Antonetti said. “We’ll have to work through Kyle and other options there and figure out who the best option may be based upon where we have at-bats up here.”
In 109 at-bats this year at Triple-A Columbus, Manzardo has a .303 batting average with nine homers and 20 RBI.
Antonetti acknowledged Mazardo’s success and knew there were two considerations when it came to calling him up to the majors.
“Where is he at in his developmental path and do we think he could potentially contribute at the major league level,” Antonetti said. “The other is opportunity. Can we get that player with his skillset and versatility consistent enough opportunities at the major league level for it to make sense. And to date, we just haven’t had those at-bats.”
Bad injury news – Guardians prospect Chase DeLauter has a fracture in the fifth metatarsal bone of his left foot. It’s the same foot that he injured last year and had to undergo surgery for.
“We feel for Chase,” Antonetti said. “He did everything he could in the rehab process it’s just one of those freak things. Obviously, he’s a big guy that’s really powerful, and that unfortunately led to a recurrence of his foot issues.”
The next steps for DeLauter will be discussed on Wednesday when he meets with the foot specialist who performed last year’s surgery.
DeLauter was placed on the 7-day injured list on May 2nd. He made his name known in Spring Training this year and climbed to 27th in MLB.com’s prospect rankings.
“He’ll miss time so he’ll miss developmental reps while he’s out,” Antonetti said. “I think what we’ve seen with Chase though is that he’s got incredible ability, so hopefully when he is back healthy he can shorten that developmental timeframe as much as possible, continue his development, and become a major league option for us.”
At Double-A Akron this season, DeLauter owns a .197 batting average with one home run and three RBI in 61 at-bats.
listen to 92.3 the fan
Other injury updates – Bullpen help could be another option for a roster move in the near future.
“Sam Hentges and Eli Morgan both got through their rehab appearances last night with Columbus very well, so they’ll move to the next steps,” Antonetti said. “Sam’s a candidate to be activated. Eli will likely continue to get a few more rehab games under his belt.”
Hentges has yet to appear in a major league game this season. He was placed on the injured list on Opening Day with left middle finger inflammation. Hentges has made rehab appearances at both the Triple-A and Double-A levels.