CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Outfielder Steven Kwan was activated from the injured list before Cleveland’s six-game homestand starting on Friday night. He’s batting leadoff in the series opener against the Nationals.
The two-time Gold Glove winner was placed on the injured list on May 6th with a strained hamstring. Kwan suffered the injury on May 4th in left field against the Angels.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled that Kwan is back,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “Getting Kwan back means a lot to us. We know how good he can be and what he means to us at the top of the order being the sparkplug, so really excited to see Kwan back in there.”
While this was his first time dealing with one in the majors, Kwan is no stranger to hamstring injuries. He said he’s had issues with hamstring injuries playing for Oregon State and in the minors.
Kwan was initially expected to miss a month of action. He appeared in four rehab games across High-A Lake County and Triple-A Columbus before being activated from the injured list.
Kwan owns a .353 batting average with three homers and 11 RBI in 32 games played this season. He led the American League in batting average at the time of his injury.
In a corresponding move, outfielder Estevan Florial was designated for assignment. He spent some time batting leadoff for Cleveland in Kwan’s absence.
“It was a tough decision,” Vogt said. “He’s a kid with a ton of potential and skill. What a great person Estevan is, and what a big piece of our team he was. We’re going to miss him. It’s never fun to have to let someone go. I wish Estevan well. I hope he catches on with somebody and does great.”
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Florial appeared in 36 games for the Guardians. He hit three homers, tallied 11 RBI, and had a .173 batting average.
Cleveland went 16-7 in 23 games without Kwan in the lineup, including a season-high nine-game winning streak. The Guardians own the second-best record in the American League at 37-19 and are three games ahead of the Royals (35-23) for first place in the AL Central.