<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-foot-surgery-possibility-cleveland-outfielder');   ga('set', 'title', 'Foot surgery emerges as possibility for Guardians outfielder');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Lane-Thomas-swings-a-bat-against-Angels.jpg"><figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Foot surgery emerges as possibility for Guardians outfielder</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T18:46:58-07:00">September 12th, 6:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T18:46:58-07:00">September 12th, 6:46pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-cleveland-lane-thomas-il-yankees">Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas is facing the possibility of foot surgery</a> as his 2025 season appears to be over due to persistent plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Thomas, 30, has sat out since early July and will <a href="https://x.com/ZackMeisel/status/1966612938606702601" rel="noopener">consult a specialist in Indianapolis next week</a>, per Zack Meisel of The Athletic. The veteran outfielder has acknowledged that surgery could be necessary, noting that recovery, if required, would take around three months, though exact timelines may vary.</p><p>Thomas’ foot issues first emerged last year <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-lane-thomas-gets-brutally-honest-on-cleveland-trade">following his trade to Cleveland</a>. Initially presenting as a bruise in the heel, the condition developed into a significant bone bruise with swelling. Despite managing through spring training, the problem has persisted, forcing Thomas onto the injured list twice this year. He has attempted treatments including cortisone injections, which provided temporary relief, but have not resolved the underlying condition.</p><p>This injury setback comes amid a challenging 2025 campaign for Thomas. Thomas has played just 39 regular-season games for the Guardians, hitting .209/.267/.390 with seven home runs and 23 RBIs since the Guardians traded for him from the Washington Nationals in July 2024. In his prior 53 games with Cleveland, he slashed .209/.267/.390, demonstrating the difficulties he has faced maintaining consistency at the plate.</p><p>Nevertheless, Thomas did make a difference in the postseason. In the American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers, he hit a grand slam off Tarik Skubal in Game 5 to give Cleveland a 5–1 lead, ultimately helping the Guardians secure a 7–3 win and advance to the ALCS for the first time since 2016. In 10 playoff games, he hit .222 with two home runs and nine RBIs.</p><p>Originally drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Bearden High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, Thomas played in their minor league system for four years before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017. He made his MLB debut in 2019, hitting a home run in his first at-bat, and later played for the Nationals, becoming their starting center fielder before joining the Guardians in 2024. Career highlights include a 2022 campaign with the Nationals, where he led MLB in percentage of balls hit safely (23.2%) and recorded 17 home runs, 52 RBIs, and 26 doubles across 146 games.</p><p>The Guardians’ roster continues to manage other injury updates. Gabriel Arias has returned to the lineup after missing three games with a wrist injury, while top prospect Travis Bazzana recently left a Triple-A Columbus game due to oblique soreness. Thomas has expressed interest in returning to the Guardians in 2026, likely on a one-year “prove it” deal, depending on the outcome of his foot evaluation.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Foot surgery emerges as possibility for Guardians outfielder

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-2024-no-1-overall-pick-dealing-oblique-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Guardians’ 2024 No. 1 overall pick dealing with oblique injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Guardians-no-1-pick-Travis-Bazzana-for-Rubberducks.jpg"><figcaption>© Phil Masturzo / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Guardians’ 2024 No. 1 overall pick dealing with oblique injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T10:26:53-07:00">September 12th, 10:26am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T10:26:53-07:00">September 12th, 10:26am</time><address><a>Yasmin Edañol</a>Yasmin D.G. Edañol is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with a background in scientific research and publishing. He brings a data-driven perspective to sports storytelling as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with a focus on the NBA. Whether it's breaking down a clutch play or a stat line, he believes every great moment has a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Cleveland Guardians <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-cleveland-tanner-bibee-al-wild-card-mariners">are battling to keep their AL Wild Card hopes alive</a>, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-emmanuel-clase-luis-ortiz-administrative-leave-extended">every roster update matters</a> as the season enters a critical stretch. The Guardians received an unsettling scare when <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-first-pick-travis-bazzana-reacts-first-home-run-grand-slam">Travis Bazzana, the 2024 No. 1 overall pick</a>, was pulled from a game with Triple-A Columbus. Bazzana exited due to left oblique soreness, <a href="https://x.com/ZackMeisel/status/1966542444062707839" rel="noopener">according to a report</a> from Zack Meisel of The Athletic. The setback came just as fans were following his steady rise through the system.</p><p>With Travis Bazzana sidelined, the organization now faces a pressing question. How long will their prized prospect be out? And will it delay his chance to impact Cleveland’s postseason chase?</p><p>The Guardians drafted Travis Bazzana to be a future cornerstone, and his progress has been swift. He has already displayed maturity at the plate and versatility in the field. Scouts have praised his discipline and power, qualities that could bolster a Guardians offense still searching for consistency. With October in sight, the idea of calling him up before the end of the season had generated real excitement.</p><p>Yet this is not the first time the prospect has dealt with a setback. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-clevelands-no-1-overall-pick-suffers-brutal-injury">Travis Bazzana suffered an oblique strain last May</a>, and another potential absence now makes his timeline even more uncertain.</p><p>For Triple-A Columbus, Travis Bazzana has been a steady force in the lineup. His ability to spark rallies and control at-bats has translated seamlessly from college to professional play. Cleveland fans have been eager for his debut, especially with the Guardians pushing for a postseason berth. His absence, even in the short term, is felt not only in Columbus but across the entire organization.</p><p>Oblique injuries are notoriously difficult to manage. Even mild soreness can sideline a player for weeks if not handled carefully. The Guardians must take a cautious approach with Travis Bazzana, whose game depends on rotational strength and quick bursts. Risking further setbacks with a player viewed as a franchise anchor would be unwise.</p><p>As the Wild Card race tightens, the Guardians face the challenge of balancing immediate urgency with long-term stability. Travis Bazzana’s health sits at the center of both. If he returns quickly, his impact could provide a late-season spark. If not, Cleveland will have to press on without the young star fans have been waiting to see.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Guardians’ 2024 No. 1 overall pick dealing with oblique injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-cleveland-tanner-bibee-al-wild-card-mariners');   ga('set', 'title', '1 Guardians player who must step up in AL Wild Card race with Mariners, Rangers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/1-Guardians-player-who-must-step-up-in-AL-Wild-Card-race-with-Mariners.jpg"></figure><h1>1 Guardians player who must step up in AL Wild Card race with Mariners, Rangers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T09:46:01-07:00">September 12th, 9:46am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T09:46:01-07:00">September 12th, 9:46am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Cleveland <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-fatal-flaw-that-will-doom-2025-postseason-hopes">Guardians’ playoff chances may be slim</a>, but the ball club is not out of the postseason conversation. Cleveland is unlikely to win the American League Central — where they trail the Detroit Tigers for first place by 8.5 games as of this story’s writing. The American League Wild Card is within reach, though, as Cleveland trails the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros by 3.5 games for the final Wild Card spot. Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers are just 2.0 games back of the final Wild Card position.</p><p>In all reality, the Guardians will need a number of players to perform well down the stretch in order to clinch the Wild Card spot. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-jose-ramirez-passes-jim-thome-history">Jose Ramirez is one of the best players in the sport</a> and he will lead the way. Steven Kwan is an All-Star who will make a significant impact. In order for Cleveland to reach the next level, though, they will need an ace to step up and lead the pitching rotation.</p><p>The Guardians dealt former ace Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays before the 2025 trade deadline. 26-year-old Tanner Bibee displayed ace-caliber potential in 2023 and 2024, but the ’25 campaign has told a different story. Bibee has pitched to a lackluster 4.69 ERA across 28 starts.</p><p>If Bibee can finish the season strong, though, the Guardians could make a legitimate run at a postseason position.</p><h2><b>Why Tanner Bibee can save the Guardians</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Tanner-Bibee-gets-100-real-on-Clevelands-strong-pitching-secret-2.jpg"><figcaption>David Richard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Guardians were known as the Cleveland Pitching Factory just a few years ago. They consistently discovered ways to develop quality big league pitching — something many other teams struggled to accomplish. Pitchers in the current rotation such as Gavin Williams and Joey Cantillo have performed well, but Bibee has not found too much success in 2025.</p><p>Cleveland thought Bibee was the franchise’s next ace heading into the ’25 campaign. He recorded a 2.98 ERA in 2023 and 3.47 ERA in 2024. In 2024, he struck out a career-high 187 hitters.</p><p>Things simply have not gone according to plan for the right-handed hurler in 2025. He could turn things around, though. There are still a few more weeks remaining in the regular season. As a result, Bibee could make three or four more starts. In baseball, teams often find their footing when their ace pitches well. It seems to generate momentum and help a ball club take a step forward.</p><p>If Bibee goes and records a seven inning quality start in his next performance, the Guardians may respond by taking care of business around him. Cleveland’s pitching needs a leader and Bibee — who features ace potential — is the best candidate at the moment.</p><h2><b>Will Cleveland reach the 2025 MLB postseason?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Jose-Ramirez_8d9a24.jpg"><figcaption>© David Richard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Making a true postseason run is going to prove to be a challenge. Not only do the Guardians have to catch the Mariners or Astros, but they also need to surpass the Rangers. With multiple ball clubs competing for one Wild Card spot, Cleveland will need to play its best possible baseball down the stretch.</p><p>So, will the Guardians reach the postseason this year? There is plenty of work to be done, but it is certainly not out of the question. Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan will lead the offense. The question is whether or not Tanner Bibee will be able to step up and lead the starting rotation.</p><p>We will find out over the next few weeks.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

1 Guardians player who must step up in AL Wild Card race with Mariners, Rangers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-cj-kayfus-calls-clutch-hr-royals-best-feeling-in-world');   ga('set', 'title', 'Guardians’ CJ Kayfus calls clutch HR vs. Royals ‘best feeling in the world’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Cleveland-Guardians-right-fielder-CJ-Kayfus-63-celebrates-his-two-run-home-run-with-catcher-Bo-Naylor-23.jpg"><figcaption>David Richard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Guardians’ CJ Kayfus calls clutch HR vs. Royals ‘best feeling in the world’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T20:38:45-07:00">September 11th, 8:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T20:38:45-07:00">September 11th, 8:38pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>CJ Kayfus came through in the clutch during the Cleveland <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-fatal-flaw-that-will-doom-2025-postseason-hopes">Guardians’ matchup against the Kansas City Royals</a> on Thursday night.</p><p>His moment arrived in the bottom of the eighth inning. Cleveland was trailing 2-1 to Kansas City as he <a href="https://x.com/MLB/status/1966315426406650003" rel="noopener">blasted a two-run homer</a> out to center field to give his team the final lead of the night.</p><p>Kayfus <a href="https://x.com/ZackMeisel/status/1966322792938266781" rel="noopener">reflected on the homer</a> after the game, per reporter Zach Meisei. He described the feeling of obtaining the game-winning home run that it was like no other.</p><p>“There’s no feeling in the world like that one. That was truly, probably the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life right there,” Kayfus said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">C.J. Kayfus flips the scoreboard with a 425-foot 2-run homer! <a href="https://t.co/pEV32rGJ7a">pic.twitter.com/pEV32rGJ7a</a></p><p>— MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1966315426406650003?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>How CJ Kayfus, Guardians played against Royals</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Cleveland-Guardians-right-fielder-CJ-Kayfus-63-is-greeted-by-manager-Stephen-Vogt-12.jpg"><figcaption>David Richard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It was a huge home run for CJ Kayfus to earn, leading the Guardians to a 3-2 win over the Royals. As a result, they won the series 2-1 in the three-game set this week.</p><p>Cleveland had to fight its way back in the contest, giving up a two-run homer in the first inning. They did not score until the fourth inning when Jose Ramirez got an RBI groundout to drive Steven Kwan to home plate. It wasn’t until Kayfus arrived in the eighth inning to flip the momentum to his squad’s favor.</p><p>The Guardians’ bullpen did a great job keeping the Royals’ offense quiet after the first inning. They held them to five hits after 32 at-bats, including the homer to open the scoring. Gavin Williams started on the mound as he lasted six innings, striking out six batters while conceding four hits and the two-run shot. Meanwhile, Matt Festa earned the win and Cade Smith obtained the save.</p><p>Cleveland improved to a 75-71 record on the season, holding the second spot of the AL Central Division standings. They are 8.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers for the top seed.</p><p>The Guardians will prepare for their next series, remaining at home. They host the Chicago White Sox as Game 1 will take place on Sept. 12 at 7:10 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Guardians’ CJ Kayfus calls clutch HR vs. Royals ‘best feeling in the world’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-close-slade-cecconi-came-ending-mlbs-longest-no-hitter-drought');   ga('set', 'title', 'How close Guardians’ Slade Cecconi came to ending MLB’s longest no-hitter drought');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Guardians-starting-pitcher-Slade-Cecconi-44-reacts-after-losing-his-no-hitter.jpg"><figcaption>Ken Blaze-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>How close Guardians’ Slade Cecconi came to ending MLB’s longest no-hitter drought</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-09T07:37:41-07:00">September 9th, 7:37am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-09T07:37:41-07:00">September 9th, 7:37am</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Cleveland Guardians right-hander Slade Cecconi, who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/disappointing-player-guardians-must-trade-offseason">hasn’t been spectacular in 2025</a>, came so close to pulling off a historic performance on the mound during Monday’s series opener at Progressive Field against the Kansas City Royals. The Cleveland franchise has not produced a no-hitter since the early 1980s, and that continues to be the case after Cecconi gave up his first hit in the Royals game in the eighth inning.</p><p>Royals infielder Michael Massey dashed Cecconi’s no-hit bid in that frame with a leadoff single to centerfield. Despite that setback, Cecconi stayed in the contest to finish the inning without giving up a run. He did not return to the mound after that, as the Guardians replaced him with Zak Kent, who gave up two earned runs on two hits before Cleveland closed it out for a 10-2 victory.</p><p>Cecconi nearly ended the longest no-hitter drought in the big leagues, which is also the <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46202444/slade-cecconi-loses-no-hit-bid-8th-guardians-rout" rel="noopener">fourth-longest ever in the history</a> of MLB, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). The last time Cleveland had one was in 1981 when Len Barker threw a perfect game.</p><p>“It was pretty special,” Cecconi said of taking a no-hitter <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/slade-cecconi-takes-no-hitter-into-8th-inning-vs-royals" rel="noopener">to the eighth inning</a>, per Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. “Seeing the crowd get on their feet and hearing my walk-out song and walking off, just taking all that in in the brief few seconds that I was able to, it was pretty special.”</p><p>All in all, Cecconi tossed for eight innings, recording zero earned runs, allowing just a hit, issuing three walks and striking out three Kansas City hitters.</p><p>Cleveland now has 7,016 straight games without a no-hitter. The longest such drought ever remains that of the Philadelphia Phillies, which began in 1906 and ended in 1964, covering an <a href="https://x.com/SlangsOnSports/status/1965226330578202934" rel="noopener">incredible length of 8.944 games</a>, according to Elias Sports (h/t Sarah Langs of MLB.com).</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/diamondbacks-news-acquires-josh-naylor-trade-guardians">Traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Guardians</a> in the offseason, Cecconi carries a 6-6 record with a 4.45 ERA and 4.83 FIP through 115.1 innings and across 20 starts — tied for career-high — so far in the 2025 MLB regular season.</p><p>As for the Guardians, they are now on a four-game winning streak and sit just 2.5 games outside of the last Wild Card spot in the American League.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How close Guardians’ Slade Cecconi came to ending MLB’s longest no-hitter drought

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-jose-ramirez-passes-jim-thome-history');   ga('set', 'title', 'Guardians’ Jose Ramirez passes Jim Thome in franchise history');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Jose-Ramirez-with-Cleveland-Guardians.jpg"><figcaption>Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Guardians’ Jose Ramirez passes Jim Thome in franchise history</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-07T15:34:00-07:00">September 7th, 3:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-07T15:34:00-07:00">September 7th, 3:34pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Cleveland Guardians came out victorious on Sunday with a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, and the game turned into <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-jose-ramirez-mlb-era-history-incredible-2025-season">another milestone moment for Jose Ramirez</a>.</p><p>In the sixth inning, Ramirez ripped a game-tying RBI triple down the line, a hit that not only shifted the momentum but also pushed his career total to 938 RBIs. That number moved him past Hall of Famer Jim Thome for <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/jose-ramirez-has-second-most-rbis-in-cleveland-history" rel="noopener">sole possession of second place</a> on Cleveland’s all-time list, according to Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. He now trails only Earl Averill, who holds the club record with 1,084 RBIs since the statistic became official in 1920.</p><p>Ramirez’s triple came off Tampa Bay reliever Garrett Cleavinger, who entered with a 20-inning scoreless streak, the longest active in the majors at the time. The hit scored by Angel Martinez broke Cleavinger’s streak, the first run he had allowed since July 5. After Ramirez was thrown out at the plate on a squeeze attempt, Gabriel Arias produced the eventual game-winning RBI single against Kevin Kelly, scoring David Fry.</p><p>The milestone ended a productive series for the 32-year-old third baseman. Across the four games in Tampa, Ramirez hit .438 (7-for-16) with a 1.346 OPS, collecting a home run, a triple, two doubles, four RBIs, and a stolen base. He extended his streak of consecutive games with an extra-base hit to four, the 24th such stretch of his career.</p><p>On Saturday, Ramirez also stole his 280th career base, breaking a tie with Omar Vizquel for second on Cleveland’s all-time list, behind only Kenny Lofton’s 452. Among primary third basemen in the Live Ball Era, only Chone Figgins (341) has more steals.</p><p>Guardians manager Stephen Vogt praised Ramirez’s consistency, while teammates acknowledged his daily impact. Ramirez himself noted that his approach on the bases was influenced by Jose Reyes, the longtime Mets shortstop who finished his career with 517 steals.</p><p>Rookie left-hander Parker Messick added to the weekend’s storyline with a strong homecoming start. Pitching just 30 miles from his hometown of Plant City, Fla., Messick worked six innings, allowing one run on eight hits with four strikeouts and no walks. He improved to 2-0 in just his fourth career outing, backed by a vocal crowd of roughly 250 friends and family.</p><p>Cleveland’s bullpen, a decisive factor in the series win, threw 11 1/3 scoreless innings across the four games. On Sunday, Matt Festa, Hunter Gaddis, and Cade Smith combined for three shutout frames, with Smith striking out the side in the ninth for his 11th save.</p><p>The Guardians won three of four against Tampa Bay, improving to 72-70 on the season. The victory moved them ahead of the Rays (71-72) in the standings and also kept them 2 1/2 games behind Seattle (75-68) <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/why-guardians-will-clinch-al-wild-card-spot">for the American League’s third Wild Card spot</a>. They return home to open a four-game series against the Kansas City Royals on Monday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Guardians’ Jose Ramirez passes Jim Thome in franchise history

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-cleveland-outfielder-attention-catching-trade-story');   ga('set', 'title', 'Guardians outfielder drops attention-catching trade story');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Stephen-Vogt.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Guardians outfielder drops attention-catching trade story</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-05T10:59:22-07:00">September 5th, 10:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-05T11:20:41-07:00">September 5th, 11:20am</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut based sports journalist and a graduate of both Tunxis Community College and Central Connecticut State University. Dan has spent time covering high school and professional sports in both the print and online medium. He hopes to see his beloved Chicago Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-emmanuel-clases-trade-status-twist-gambling-investigation">Cleveland Guardians season have had a tumultuous season</a>, lowlighted by a pair of their players being suspended for gambling allegations. But before the Guardians even played their first game, one of their outfielders was living in his own world of chaos.</p><p>While he has coming off of a down year, Nolan Jones thought he’d have an opportunity to bounce back with the Colorado Rockies. He had prepared to play with the Rockies all offseason and had sent all of his belongings to Colorado. But on the same day, as he arrived for a spring training camp, Jones was notified that he was being traded.</p><p>However, he <a href="https://x.com/BBisntBoring/status/1963967317684998372" rel="noopener">wasn’t told where for about four hours</a>, as physicals were being finalized. He was obviously curious about where he was going and began making some calls. One of them was to then-Guardians infielder Tyler Freeman. He informed Jones that he had been traded as well but wasn’t told where. Jones was able to put the pieces together, and soon enough, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-nolan-jones-vocal-reuniting-guardians-rockies-trade" rel="noopener">Jones for Freeman swap was finalized</a> via Baseball Isn’t Boring.</p><p>“I had plans of being in Colorado,” Jones said. “Then two days before the season started, we had just shipped all of our stuff to Colorado. They basically called me and told me I was being traded. But it was pending physicals, so they were unable to tell me where.”</p><p>“I called Tyler Freeman. Tyler was basically in tears, upset, told me, ‘I got traded but they can’t tell me where, it’d pending a physical.’ I was like, ‘Well, I think I know where you’re going.'”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Morning Podcast: The Wild Adventures Of Nolan Jones<br>Listen Here ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/uAZfs0Xt8m">https://t.co/uAZfs0Xt8m</a> <a href="https://t.co/iruwoesTET">pic.twitter.com/iruwoesTET</a></p><p>— Baseball Isn’t Boring (@BBisntBoring) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBisntBoring/status/1963967317684998372?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Baseball is ultimately a business at the end of the day, and the situation surrounding Jones’ trade is just another part of it. He is at least now playing for a team, just 3.5 games out of the Wild Card hunt. If that doesn’t sound so appealing, go check out the Rockies’ record.</p><h2><b>Nolan Jones’ debut with Guardians </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Nolan-Jones.jpg"><figcaption>Ken Blaze-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>During the 2023 season, Jones broke onto the scene by hitting .297 with 20 home runs, 62 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. But ever since, he hasn’t been able to come close to those marks. At the very least, the Guardians were hopeful a change of scenery would get Jones back on track.</p><p>But through his first 122 games with the team, the outfielder is hitting .214 with five home runs, 31 RBI, and eight stolen bases. While he has gotten opportunities in the middle of the lineup, Jones hasn’t been as consistent as Cleveland has hoped.</p><p>The Guardians will have plenty of time to develop Jones if they choose to do so, however. At 27 years old, he is under team control through the 2028 season. He’ll need to prove he belongs as an everyday outfielder, but his contractual status will put him in good favor with the team.</p><p>Jones and the Guardians will look to end the season strong, ending things off on the right foot. But for however memorable the ending is, Jones won’t forget how he first came to Cleveland.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Guardians outfielder drops attention-catching trade story

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-fatal-flaw-that-will-doom-2025-postseason-hopes');   ga('set', 'title', 'Guardians’ fatal flaw that will doom 2025 postseason hopes');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Guardians-fatal-flaw-that-will-doom-2025-postseason-hopes.jpg"></figure><h1>Guardians’ fatal flaw that will doom 2025 postseason hopes</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-04T17:01:23-07:00">September 4th, 5:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-04T17:01:23-07:00">September 4th, 5:01pm</time><address><a>Garrett Kerman</a>Garrett Kerman also goes by the name of The Fight Analyst. He covers all combat sports, from MMA, to boxing, to even bare-knuckle. He is also very well-versed in all American sports when it comes to news and betting analysis. Whether you want betting advice or some breaking news, Garrett is your guy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Cleveland Guardians sit at 69-69, a stark reminder of mediocrity that has plagued the franchise throughout the 2025 season. While their bullpen remains elite and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-jose-ramirez-marlins-home-run">José Ramírez continues to anchor the lineup</a>, one fatal flaw will ultimately prevent this team from achieving their postseason aspirations: an offense so anemic that it ranks among the worst in Major League Baseball.</p><h2>Cleveland’s Offensive Catastrophe</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Cleveland-Guardians-third-baseman-Jose-Ramirez-1.jpg"><figcaption>David Richard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Guardians currently rank 30th in baseball with a .223 team batting average, a number so putrid it defies explanation for a team with playoff ambitions. Their offensive struggles extend far beyond batting average, as they rank 27th in runs scored with just 538 through 138 games. To put this in perspective, even rebuilding teams like the Colorado Rockies have managed to score more runs this season.</p><p>The team’s offensive production has been consistently dreadful throughout the campaign. In June alone, the Guardians posted a .206 batting average with an OPS of just .606, ranking dead last among all MLB teams. August wasn’t much better, as they managed only a .201 batting average. This isn’t a temporary slump – it’s a season-long offensive epidemic that has infected every aspect of their game.</p><p>Perhaps most damning is their run differential of -54, which ranks among the worst in the American League. The Guardians are the only team with a winning record earlier this season to maintain such a negative run differential, a statistical anomaly that typically indicates unsustainable success. Teams simply cannot reach the postseason consistently while being outscored by their opponents over the course of 162 games.</p><h2>The Guardians’ Kryptonite</h2><p>If the overall offensive struggles weren’t concerning enough, the Guardians have a specific weakness against left-handed pitching that opposing teams will exploit mercilessly in any playoff scenario. Cleveland owns a dismal 6-14 record against left-handed starters in 2025, with only the Colorado Rockies posting a worse mark. This represents a dramatic fall from grace for a team that went 29-15 against southpaws during their AL Central title run in 2024.</p><p>The numbers against lefties are genuinely alarming. The Guardians are hitting just .221 against left-handed pitching with a .287 on-base percentage and .329 slugging percentage. Manager Stephen Vogt has openly acknowledged the problem, stating, “We’ve struggled. Our right-handed hitting has struggled this year for whatever reason”. When a manager publicly admits his team cannot hit a specific type of pitching, opposing playoff teams will undoubtedly stack their rotations accordingly.</p><p>The loss of Josh Naylor, who posted a .715 OPS against lefties in 2024, has created a massive hole in their lineup construction. Lane Thomas and David Fry, theoretically the right-handed bats designed to combat southpaws, have been woefully ineffective. Thomas is batting just 6-for-40 against lefties, while Fry has managed only 7 hits in 53 at-bats. These are replacement-level numbers from players expected to provide offensive balance.</p><h2>Pitching Concerns Beyond the Elite Bullpen</h2><p>While the Guardians’ bullpen remains one of baseball’s best units, led by Emmanuel Clase’s 24 saves, the starting rotation has been inconsistent enough to put additional pressure on an already struggling offense. Tanner Bibee has alternated between dominant outings and complete disasters, posting a concerning 4.73 ERA after establishing himself as a reliable starter in previous seasons.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-emmanuel-clase-luis-ortiz-administrative-leave-extended">The suspension of Luis Ortiz and Clase due to gambling investigations</a> has created additional uncertainty within the pitching staff. Although Clase has returned to his closer role, the disruption and uncertainty surrounding these situations cannot be ignored when evaluating the team’s postseason readiness. When your ace closer is dealing with off-field distractions, it adds another layer of concern for a team already facing numerous challenges.</p><p>The starting rotation’s inability to provide consistent length has forced the bullpen to shoulder an enormous workload throughout the season. While Cleveland’s relievers have largely handled this responsibility, the cumulative effect of overuse could prove costly in high-leverage postseason situations where every arm matters.</p><h2>The Playoff Reality Check</h2><p>Even if the Guardians somehow secure a wild-card berth – and their current 5.1% playoff probability according to FanGraphs suggests this is unlikely – they would be immediately exposed against playoff-caliber pitching. Teams like the Yankees, Astros, and Mariners all possess the deep rotations and offensive firepower that Cleveland simply cannot match.</p><p>In a playoff series, opposing managers would undoubtedly deploy left-handed starters whenever possible, knowing the Guardians have no effective counter-strategy. Their inability to score runs consistently means they cannot afford the type of offensive droughts that are commonplace in October baseball. When you’re averaging just 3.9 runs per game during the regular season, you’re asking your pitching staff to be perfect every single night.</p><p>The Guardians’ offensive limitations become even more pronounced when considering the shortened nature of playoff games. There are no easy innings against playoff-caliber bullpens, and Cleveland’s tendency to struggle against quality pitching would be magnified on baseball’s biggest stage.</p><p>While the Cleveland Guardians possess individual talents and an elite bullpen that could theoretically support a playoff run, their fatal offensive flaw will ultimately doom their 2025 postseason hopes. You cannot consistently fail to score runs at the major league level and expect to compete against the best teams in baseball.</p><p>The combination of historically bad offensive production, specific weaknesses against left-handed pitching, and lack of roster depth creates an insurmountable challenge for this Cleveland team. Even if they somehow sneak into a wild-card spot, their offensive limitations would be immediately exposed against playoff-caliber pitching staffs that know exactly how to attack their weaknesses.</p><p>The Guardians’ 2025 season will ultimately serve as a cautionary tale about the importance of balanced roster construction and offensive depth in modern baseball. Their elite bullpen and individual stars cannot overcome the fundamental flaw of an offense that ranks among the worst in Major League Baseball.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Guardians’ fatal flaw that will doom 2025 postseason hopes

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-alex-cora-jordan-hicks-guardians-loss');   ga('set', 'title', 'Red Sox manager Alex Cora gets real about Jordan Hicks after Guardians disaster');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ACor.jpg"><figcaption>James A. Pittman-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><h1>Red Sox manager Alex Cora gets real about Jordan Hicks after Guardians disaster</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-03T21:29:07-07:00">September 3rd, 9:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-04T08:45:11-07:00">September 4th, 8:45am</time><address><a>Josh Davis</a>Josh Davis is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints with a focus on MLB. As the founder and creator of OutOfSightSports, Josh spearheads the development and expansion of an engaging social media platform, with a core focus on Twitter/X. A passionate sports writer, Josh is dedicated to delivering compelling content that connects fans and fuels vibrant sports conversations. His vision is to craft stories so vivid that fans feel like they’re standing at the plate or on the field.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Red Sox couldn’t complete the sweep Wednesday at Fenway Park, and a disastrous second inning from <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/rafael-devers-trade-grades-giants-red-sox">Jordan Hicks</a> made sure of it. In an 8-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians, the reliever’s struggles highlighted a glaring issue in the Red Sox bullpen during a critical stretch of the 2025 MLB season.</p><p>Hicks was called upon to replace Brennan Bernardino with two outs in the top of the first on Wednesday night at Fenway Park, as the Red Sox deployed a planned bullpen game after taking the first two games of the series against the visiting Guardians. With Cleveland already leading 1-0 and a runner on first, Hicks delivered — striking out Jhonkensy Noel on just three pitches to end the inning.</p><p>But the second inning told a different story. The 28-year-old reliever gave up a leadoff double, followed by a two-run homer and two more hits before being pulled, ultimately getting charged with four earned runs in the Red Sox bullpen collapse.</p><p>Following the game, Alex Cora didn’t hold back in addressing the state of his bullpen and Hicks’ performance. The Boston Herald’s Mac Cerullo took to his X, formerly Twitter, account and shared Cora’s postgame message, which <a href="https://x.com/MacCerullo/status/1963423953181081918" rel="noopener">reflected both concern and confidence</a> in the right-hander.</p><p>“We’ve got to figure him out. We need him. That’s the bottom line. Because we’ve got Whitlock as a setup man, we need righties in the bullpen to do their job. We trust the ability but we have to execute.”</p><p>That vote of confidence underscores how valuable Hicks still is to this Red Sox team. Acquired in the blockbuster deal that sent Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants, the hard-throwing reliever was expected to bring stability to the middle innings. But through 21 appearances in 2025, Hicks holds an 8.20 ERA and a 1.98 WHIP, allowing 17 earned runs with just two saves. Despite his powerful arm, inconsistency has placed his role under the spotlight during a tense Red Sox playoff race.</p><p>With only 21 games remaining, every performance matters for the Red Sox. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-alex-cora-gives-optimistic-jordan-hicks-stuff-despite-struggles">Cora’s continued support for Hicks</a> reflects a belief that internal improvement is still possible, but consistent execution is no longer optional. Tied for the second Wild Card spot, Boston gets Thursday off before heading west to face the Arizona Diamondbacks in a weekend series that could carry major postseason implications.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Red Sox manager Alex Cora gets real about Jordan Hicks after Guardians disaster

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-emmanuel-clase-luis-ortiz-administrative-leave-extended');   ga('set', 'title', 'Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz’s administrative leave extended');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Guardians-reliever-Emmanuel-Clase-against-Orioles.jpg"><figcaption>David Richard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz’s administrative leave extended</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-31T09:45:08-07:00">August 31st, 9:45am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-31T09:45:08-07:00">August 31st, 9:45am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Cleveland <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-jeff-passan-brutally-honest-emmanuel-clase-situation">Guardians will still be without Emmanuel Clase</a> and Luis Ortiz as the <a href="https://x.com/BNightengale/status/1962181107853733961" rel="noopener">investigation into their alleged gambling</a> continues, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.</p><p>“Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz’s administrative leave has been extended until further notice as MLB’s investigation involving illegal gambling continues,” Nightengale wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>“Their non-paid disciplinary leave had been set to expire today until the extension, which was agreed upon by MLB and the players union,” Nightengale continued.</p><p>Ortiz was placed on leave in July after a betting-integrity firm saw two pitches from him that were bad misses and not near the strike zone, and in congruence, there was a rise in betting activity. At the end of July, Clase was also placed on leave.</p><p>MLB players are permitted to bet on other sports, but they can’t gamble on diamond sports, which include baseball or softball games at any level. Rule 21 states, “Any player, umpire or club or league official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared permanently ineligible.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting/padres-news-tucupita-marcano-lifetime-ban-mlb-betting">Tucupita Marcano was banned from baseball</a> last season because he was gambling on games that involved his own team. Michael Kelly, Jay Groome, José Rodríguez and Andrew Saalfrank were also suspended for a year for gambling on baseball games where they were not involved.</p><p>It was a surprise to see that Clase’s name was involved in this matter, knowing that he’s one of the better closers in baseball for the past few years. He finished third in AL Cy Young and posted a 0.61 ERA, 0.66 WHIP, and 66 strikeouts.</p><p>It will be interesting to see what happens with Clase and Ortiz from here on, and if the league will punish them if they find substantial evidence.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz’s administrative leave extended

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-rumors-emmanuel-clase-luis-ortiz-situation-receives-important-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Guardians rumors: Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz situation receives important update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Emmanuel-Clase.jpg"><figcaption>Ken Blaze-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Guardians rumors: Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz situation receives important update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-29T10:26:31-07:00">August 29th, 10:26am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-29T10:26:31-07:00">August 29th, 10:26am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-emmanuel-clase-luis-ortiz-lockers-cleared-out-mlb-gambling-investigation">MLB investigating a gambling connection to Cleveland Guardians</a> pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, there are more reports detailing the possible next steps in the process. While <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-stephen-vogt-message-emmanuel-clase-luis-ortiz-mystery">the Guardians look to move past the mystery</a> of the players connected to controversy, it seems that there isn’t an end in sight.</p><p>Clase and Ortiz have obviously been out of action since the news, as Francys Romero would report that both will stay on <a href="https://x.com/francysromeroFR/status/1961454671144321191" rel="noopener">“the restricted list and administrative leave, respectively”</a> until the end of the current season.</p><p>“Sources: Cleveland Guardians right-handers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase will remain on the restricted list and administrative leave, respectively, through the end of the 2025 season,” Romero wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Both are being investigated for potential involvement in gambling.”</p><p>Before being sidelined, Clase had been Cleveland’s main closer as he recorded a 3.23 ERA to go along with 47 strikeouts and 24 saves, which is still ninth in the majors. As for Ortiz, he started 16 games this season, having a 4.36 ERA with 96 strikeouts and a 4-9 record.</p><h2><b>The Guardians looking to move on from Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz news </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Guardians-pitcher-Luis-Ortiz-faces-the-Reds.jpg"><figcaption>Ken Blaze-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/why-guardians-will-clinch-al-wild-card-spot">Guardians are fighting for an American League wild card spot</a> in the playoffs, the team will have to mentally move on from the current controversy surrounding the team involving Clase and Ortiz. The same sentiments would be echoed by manager Stephen Vogt, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2025/08/24/guardians-mlb-gambling-investigation-emmanuel-clase-luis-ortiz/85804280007/" rel="noopener">who says he has the utmost confidence</a> in the team around him to focus on what is in front of them, which is playing baseball games.</p><p>“Our message to the guys was that we don’t know what we don’t know,” Vogt said, according to USA Today. “All we can control is us working hard every day. I mean, our guys are resilient. These guys have handled things over the last year and a half, so they’re built for it.’’</p><p>“We’ve been through a lot as a team,’’ Vogt continued. “These guys have been punched in the gut over and over. But they’ve handled it like pros.’’</p><p>At any rate, Cleveland is currently at a 66-66 record, which puts the team third in the AL Central as they start a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners on Friday night. The Guardians will have to make a positive turnaround if the ball club wants to vie for a wild card spot, as they are the third team on the outside looking in, five games back in the final AL spot.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Guardians rumors: Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz situation receives important update

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/disappointing-player-guardians-must-trade-offseason');   ga('set', 'title', '1 disappointing player Guardians must trade in offseason');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/1-disappointing-player-Guardians-must-trade-in-offseason.jpg"></figure><h1>1 disappointing player Guardians must trade in offseason</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-29T09:51:19-07:00">August 29th, 9:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-29T09:51:19-07:00">August 29th, 9:51am</time><address><a>RB Hayek</a>RB Hayek has been writing about sports for over a decade and is currently a member of ClutchPoints' editorial team after primarily focusing on betting content. In addition, he is also a published author of thriller novels, available on Amazon.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Things were supposed to be great this season for the Cleveland Guardians. Instead, it has not turned out that way. After the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-most-blame-2024-alcs-loss-yankees">Guardians lost to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship</a>, they have not come close to the same level of play. To put it mildly, life has not been great. A Guardians roster shakeup might happen in the MLB offseason, especially as they sit at 66-66. One All-Star player has become one of the Guardians’ key trade candidates.</p><p>Cleveland has <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb?tab=playoffs" rel="noopener">just +1120 odds to make the playoffs this season,</a> according to FanDuel. Overall, that translates to an 8.2 percent chance. Returning to the ALCS does not seem to be in the cards for the Guardians. Likewise, a playoff push does not seem to be happening. Looking up at the Detroit Tigers has not been a pleasant experience.</p><p>One player has been steady this season. Yet, a second-half slump has made him a disappointment. While he is still an All-Star, he has also become one of the biggest Guardians trade candidates, and could be again in the MLB offseason.</p><h2><b>How the Guardians have done</b></h2><p>The Guardians have had a mediocre season. As previously noted, they are 66-66 and came into the day trailing the Tigers by 10.5 games in the American League Central. Additionally, they are five games behind the Seattle Mariners for the final wildcard spot, making it highly unlikely they will secure a spot.</p><h2><b>What has gone wrong for Cleveland?</b></h2><p>To put it lightly, their starting pitching has fallen off a cliff. It got so bad that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/toronto-blue-jays/blue-jays-news-toronto-shane-bieber-trade-guardians">Guardians traded Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays</a>. This rotation is currently 18th in the majors. While any of the starters could have been candidates for disappointing players, many of them are not on the trade market.</p><p>Tanner Bibee has not had the best season, going 9-10 with a 4.73 ERA. However, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-tanner-bibee-contract-extension">Guardians extended Bibee to a new contract,</a> making it unlikely they will trade him. Logan Allen has not been great, going 7-10 with a 4.35 ERA. Yet, it’s likely he will return to Cleveland next season. John Means is currently out with an injury. Before that, he was 2-0 with a 2.61 ERA, so he will get another chance to make his mark. Slade Cecconi is 5-6 with a 4.41 ERA. Although those are not the best numbers, he could likely get another chance as well.</p><p>The team could add another rotation arm in the offseason. However, it does not seem likely they will trade any of their pitchers. Instead, they could go another direction, one that could be more drastic.</p><h2><b>How Steven Kwan has done</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Steven-Kwan-reacts-to-striking-out.jpg"><figcaption>08/29/2025</figcaption></figure><p>Steven Kwan is one of the Guardians’ trade candidates this season. Ultimately, this is a hard concept to fathom. Kwan is an All-Star, so how could he possibly be disappointing? Well, let’s look at the numbers.</p><p>Kwan is currently batting .271 with 10 home runs, 41 RBIs, and 65 runs. On the surface, those are solid numbers, and they would be for any other player. However, Kwan had higher expectations and was expected to help carry this team, along with Jose Ramirez. Instead, he has fallen into his own slump, and it’s possibly hurting his value.</p><p>Kwan is batting .210 with one home run, three RBIs, and 10 strikeouts in August. Additionally, he has an on-base percentage of .248 and an OPS of .260. Kwan has had mini slumps before. Yet, this seems to be one of the worst slumps he has ever had throughout his career. Kwan has always been one of the most consistent players in the lineup. Unfortunately, he has not been able to find the lucky stroke in August.</p><h2><b>Why Kwan is a Guardians trade candidate</b></h2><p>This could have been unheard of just a year ago. Now, the rumors are circling. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-steven-kwan-100-real-future-trade-deadline">Kwan wants to stay in Cleveland,</a> but that might not happen. So far, the team has not extended him. Kwan will enter arbitration this offseason, and the team will still retain control of his contract rights for the time being. However, if they cannot agree to a mutual deal, then he could be part of the Guardians’ roster shakeup.</p><p>The Guardians absolutely cannot let Kwan walk for nothing when his contract expires. If they cannot find a way to extend him, then they must trade him. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-perfect-steven-kwan-trade-proposal-guardians">Los Angeles Dodgers expressed interest in Kwan,</a> and that could be a boon for the Guardians. When the MLB offseason rolls around, the Guardians should discuss Kwan with the Dodgers. Significantly, an ideal trade scenario could see Cleveland get prized prospect Dalton Rushing, along with multiple other picks and prospects.</p><p>Kwan still has a lot of value. If the Guardians cannot extend him, then they must get all the value they can out of him. Trading Kwan could be painful, but it would be necessary to ensure they contend for years to come.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

1 disappointing player Guardians must trade in offseason

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-carlos-santana-goodbye-after-official-release');   ga('set', 'title', 'Guardians share Carlos Santana goodbye after official release');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Carlos-Santana.jpg"><figcaption>Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Guardians share Carlos Santana goodbye after official release</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-28T12:25:07-07:00">August 28th, 12:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-28T12:55:54-07:00">August 28th, 12:55pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Last season the Cleveland Guardians won the AL Central and reached the Conference Championship Game. In 2025, Cleveland has fallen out of the playoff picture with a 66-66 record entering play on Thursday. Earlier this week, the Guardians waived the white flag on the season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-cleveland-parts-ways-carlos-santana-playoff-push">placing Carlos Santana on waivers</a>.</p><p>After the veteran first baseman went unclaimed, the Guardians officially released him on Thursday. Cleveland <a href="https://x.com/CleGuardians/status/1961125455265718758" rel="noopener">activated</a> Daniel Schneemann from paternity leave in a corresponding move, per the team’s X account.</p><p>Following the release, the Guardians <a href="https://x.com/CleGuardians/status/1961126641033498746" rel="noopener">publicly</a> said goodbye to Santana. “A franchise legend through and through. Thank you for everything, Carlos,” the club wrote.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">A franchise legend through and through.</p><p>Thank you for everything, Carlos. ❤️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GuardsBall?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GuardsBall</a> <a href="https://t.co/Mqr06G1Qib">pic.twitter.com/Mqr06G1Qib</a></p><p>— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) <a href="https://twitter.com/CleGuardians/status/1961126641033498746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Guardians focus on future after release of Carlos Santana</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Carlos-Santana-2.jpg"><figcaption>Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Santana debuted with Cleveland back in 2010 and spent 11 of his 16 big league seasons with the team. Prior to 2025, he last suited up for the Guardians in 2020. Last year <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-minnesota-agrees-5-25-million-deal-carlos-santana">Santana joined the Minnesota Twins</a> on a one-year, $5.25 million deal and won a Gold Glove with the club.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-reunite-with-carlos-santana-after-josh-naylor-trade">Guardians reunited with Santana</a> over the offseason on a one-year, $12 million contract. It was Santana’s third, and likely final, stint with the team.</p><p>The 39-year-old veteran continued playing well defensively for the Guardians but his offensive production slipped. Santana slashed .225/.316/.333 with 11 home runs, 52 RBI and 49 runs scored. He managed to rack up a respectable 1.3 bWAR in 116 games for Cleveland. But his 81 OPS+ is well below his career average of 112.</p><p>Santana will leave the Guardians with the fifth-most home runs in franchise history (227). He’s also second, behind Jim Thome, in walks (933) and strikeouts (1,049). Releasing Santana now gives the veteran a chance to catch on with a playoff contender. He would have to sign with a new team by September 1 to qualify for the postseason.</p><p>Several personnel moves in 2025 have impacted Cleveland’s season. Some were the club’s doing and others were out of the Guardians’ hands. The team <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/toronto-blue-jays/blue-jays-news-toronto-shane-bieber-trade-guardians">traded ace Shane Bieber</a> to the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline. The Cy Young winner made his first start since Tommy John surgery in 2024 three weeks after the trade.</p><p>But prior to the deadline, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-stephen-vogt-message-emmanuel-clase-luis-ortiz-mystery">Guardians lost All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase</a> and starter Luis Ortiz to a gambling investigation. While the probe is expected to end on August 31, both players’ futures are up in the air.</p><p>Now Cleveland will move on from Santana. His departure clears playing time for younger options like Kyle Manzardo and C.J. Kayfus, allowing the Guardians to focus on the future.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Guardians share Carlos Santana goodbye after official release

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/why-guardians-will-clinch-al-wild-card-spot');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Guardians will clinch AL Wild Card spot');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Cleveland-Guardians-third-baseman-Jose-Ramirez-2.jpg"><figcaption>Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Guardians will clinch AL Wild Card spot</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-27T14:52:15-07:00">August 27th, 2:52pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-27T14:52:15-07:00">August 27th, 2:52pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Cleveland Guardians are 3-7 in their last ten games, losing ground to their rivals. Instead of lurking behind the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central, Stephen Vogt’s team is now third behind the Kansas City Royals. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/mlb-news-cal-raleigh-surges-past-aaron-judge-new-al-mvp-poll">Jose Ramirez is putting the final touches on an MVP-caliber season</a>. He, Gavin Williams, and Cade Smith can help the Guardians to the playoffs.</p><p>Cleveland found itself in an interesting position at the trade deadline. Most of the league had interest in adding Steven Kwan, but the All-Star outfield survived those rumors and is a Guardian until this winter. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/toronto-blue-jays/blue-jays-news-toronto-shane-bieber-trade-guardians">Cleveland traded Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays</a> in a move that sets them up for their future. However, they can still contend now.</p><p>Kwan is a free agent this winter that will receive a big payday from his next team. Despite the Guardians’ confidence that they can retain the All-Star, they need to make the most of their success this season. However, the team needs to make up 4.5 games to catch the Seattle Mariners in the AL Wild Card picture. If they get there, Vogt’s lineup could do some serious damage.</p><p>The Guardians have had some dominant stretches throughout the regular season. However, they and the New York Yankees have been plagued by inconsistency in the second half of the season. Last season, the Guardians won their division and rode that momentum all the way to the ALCS. This year’s team lacks the pure talent from 2024, but still has some elite pieces.</p><p>Vogt and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/ex-guardians-starter-confirms-pitching-factory-narrative">Cleveland have a reputation for producing top-tier pitching talent</a>. However, having balance is the only way for the team to find a spot in the playoffs. Here are three key aspects on the Guardians’ roster that could be the key to a playoff push.</p><h2>Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez can spearhead a playoff-level offense</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Jose-Ramirez-2.jpg"><figcaption>David Richard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Despite his team’s issues, Ramirez has been just as good as ever down the stretch. The third baseman is one of the more underrated players in Major League Baseball because of where he plays. However, he has the offensive chops to lead Cleveland on a serious run as the season comes to a close. He and Kwan have been a dynamic duo for as long as they have been together.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-ex-player-shouldnt-trade-jose-ramirez">Ramirez’s future with the Guardians has some former players pleading with the team</a>. Without their All-Star infielder, Cleveland’s path to contention becomes a lot more complicated. For now, though, Ramirez continues to produce, both on and off the field. It is up to him and Kwan to inspire their teammates to rally around them with the postseason looming over the league.</p><p>As an individual, Ramirez’s numbers remain elite. After Wednesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Ramirez has <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/32801/jose-ramirez" rel="noopener">26 home runs and 68 RBIs</a>. 2025 is not the best season of his career, but the infielder is still one of the league’s more reliable bats. An offensive attack led by him and Kwan nearly too the Guardians to the World Series. They could easily do so again this season.</p><h2>Stephen Vogt’s pitching staff can dominate a playoff series</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Gavin-Williams-with-Cleveland-Guardians.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-gavin-williams-no-hit-bid-vs-mets-makes-history-not-seen-since-2023">Williams had one of the best starts of his young career this season for Vogt</a>. After the Guardians traded Bieber away to Toronto, there were questions about how good Cleveland’s starting rotation will be moving forward. There are some concerns, but Williams and Tanner Bibee have shown that they are just as comfortable at the top of the rotation as they are anywhere else.</p><p>In the playoffs, pitching is paramount. Luckily for Cleveland, Vogt and his coaching staff have a knack for getting the best out of all of their starters. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-tanner-bibee-contract-extension">Bibee signed his contract extension this spring</a>, cementing him as the Guardians’ starting for years to come. Now, it is time to see who else is ready to step up alongside him. Cleveland has no shortage of candidates to make that leap.</p><p>Williams’ peak production is unlikely to maintain itself. However, he is an effective pitcher even when he isn’t at his best. As long as Bibee can maintain his 1.31 WHIP for the rest of the season, the Guardians will be just fine. Cleveland lacks a top of the line ace, but the amount of overall talent has what it takes to rattle off enough wins to boost the team into the playoff picture.</p><h2>Cade Smith’s emergence as a closer gives the Guardians hope</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Cleveland-Guardians-relief-pitcher-Cade-Smith-dealing-against-the-Detroit-Tigers.jpg"><figcaption>© Ken Blaze-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>When <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-stephen-vogt-message-emmanuel-clase-luis-ortiz-mystery">Emmanuel Clase’s season with the Guardians came to an abrupt end</a>, things didn’t look good. Vogt’s closer was one of the best relievers MLB had to offer. However, Smith has stepped up in a big way to fill his teammate’s shoes. Even before Clase’s suspension, Smith was labeled as the heir apparent in Vogt’s bullpen, whether it was this season or next year.</p><p>Being a reliever for a team with playoff aspirations is a high-pressure role. Despite the spotlight trained on him, Smith has excelled. He could be the player that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/1-guardians-player-cade-smith-2025-playoff-chances">has the biggest impact on Cleveland’s playoff chances</a> down the stretch of the season. If he continues to rack up wins and saves, the Guardians can have confidence when a close game comes down to the final inning.</p><p>Cleveland has big expectations to live up to after their performance last season. 2025 has had its fair share of ups and downs, but the Guardians have the pieces in place to find their way into the AL Wild Card picture. The pressure is on to make it happen, especially considering players like Kwan might be in their final season in Cleveland.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Guardians will clinch AL Wild Card spot

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-cleveland-parts-ways-carlos-santana-playoff-push');   ga('set', 'title', 'Guardians part ways with Carlos Santana amid playoff push');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Guardians-first-baseman-Carlos-Santana.jpg"><figcaption>David Richard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Guardians part ways with Carlos Santana amid playoff push</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-26T14:57:38-07:00">August 26th, 2:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-26T14:57:38-07:00">August 26th, 2:57pm</time><address><a>Russell Steinberg</a>Russell Steinberg covers Major League Baseball and the New York Liberty for ClutchPoints. A baseball and basketball lifer, he has written for Boardroom, SLAM, SB Nation, The Next, and more. He graduated from NYU in 2012 and still returns to serve as PA announcer and occasional broadcaster for the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Cleveland <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-reunite-with-carlos-santana-after-josh-naylor-trade">Guardians have placed first baseman Carlos Santana</a> on <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6577053/2025/08/26/cleveland-guardians-carlos-santana-waivers-mlb/" rel="noopener">outright waivers</a>, multiple sources told The Athletic on Tuesday.</p><p>The move likely signals the end of the veteran infielder’s third stint with Cleveland, lasting less than a season over 116 games. He hit .225 in that time with 11 home runs and an 80 OPS+.</p><p>Santana broke into the Majors in 2010, playing his first eight seasons for the Guardians (then known as the Indians). After a one-year stopover with the Philadelphia Phillies, the best year of his career came in 2019 when he returned to Cleveland and made his lone All-Star Game and won his only Silver Slugger. He played to a 4.7 bWAR that year, hitting 34 home runs and piling up a .911 OPS.</p><p>Santana then played all 60 games of the COVID-shortened 2020 season, but found little success, hitting .199. He bounced around the league after that, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-minnesota-agrees-5-25-million-deal-carlos-santana">playing for five different teams</a> before returning to Cleveland.</p><p>As the 2025 season wore on, however, his playing time began to wane. He has only started five games since August 15, while young talent like Kyle Manzardo and C.J. Kayfus have gotten more reps.</p><p>Now, the Guardians sit two games below .500 but six out of the American League Wild Card. A return to the postseason is unlikely at this point but certainly not out of the question — though the team has lost nine of its last 10 games and is clearly trending in the wrong direction. They are in the midst of a three-game home series with the Tampa Bay Rays.</p><p>As for Santana, teams now have 48 hours to submit a claim on him, with priority going in reverse order of record. If a team claims him, they will be on the hook for the $2 million remaining on his contract. If he goes unclaimed, the Guardians can either keep him — but would need to make room on the roster, send him to Triple-A or release him.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Guardians part ways with Carlos Santana amid playoff push

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-stephen-vogt-message-emmanuel-clase-luis-ortiz-mystery');   ga('set', 'title', 'Stephen Vogt’s ‘message’ to Guardians amid Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz mystery');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Guardians-manager-Stephen-Vogt.jpg"><figcaption>© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Stephen Vogt’s ‘message’ to Guardians amid Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz mystery</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-24T09:04:52-07:00">August 24th, 9:04am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-24T09:05:12-07:00">August 24th, 9:05am</time><address><a>Benjamin Adducchio</a>Benjamin Adducchio is a journalist and writer with more than a decade of experience in covering sports news. Ben is a passionate sports fan who loves college football, basketball, and the New York Yankees.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-emmanuel-clase-luis-ortiz-lockers-cleared-out-mlb-gambling-investigation">Cleveland Guardians have dealt with some major distractions</a> away from the baseball diamond this year. Two Guardians players, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-emmanuel-clases-trade-status-twist-gambling-investigation">Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, are under a gambling investigation</a> by Major League Baseball. Despite this turmoil, the Guardians are <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2025/08/24/guardians-mlb-gambling-investigation-emmanuel-clase-luis-ortiz/85804280007/" rel="noopener">trying to push forward</a> as best they can.</p><p>“Our message to the guys was that we don’t know what we don’t know,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said, per USA Today. “All we can control is us working hard every day. I mean, our guys are resilient. These guys have handled things over the last year and a half, so they’re built for it.’’</p><p>Both Clase and Ortiz currently do not have lockers in the team clubhouse. This is in despite of the fact that both players have been key contributors for Cleveland. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-jeff-passan-brutally-honest-emmanuel-clase-situation">Clase was working as the team’s closer</a>, while Ortiz was a starting pitcher for the club.</p><p>“This definitely is a huge loss to the team,” Cleveland’s new closer Cade Smith said. “They’re gone. We don’t know if they’re coming back. But we have no choice but to forget about it and move on. We’ve got no choice.”</p><p>The Guardians are currently 64-64 on the season. Cleveland has lost eight of their last 10 games.</p><h2><b>These two Guardians pitchers face an uncertain future</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Emmanuel-Clase_478df9.jpg"><figcaption>Ken Blaze-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Clase and Ortiz are forced by MLB to sit out while the league conducts a full-scale investigation. Both are on paid leave until August 31, but that deadline could be moved even farther back.</p><p>“I’ve talked to them a little bit,” Guardians first baseman Carlos Santana said. “I don’t really know what to say. I hope they’ll be OK. But I don’t know. I don’t know what happened. None of us do.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-sports/duke-baseball-player-hilariously-shouts-out-draftkings-in-light-of-mlb-gambling-suspensions">MLB is investigating gambling activity</a> that allegedly occurred on games that both Clase and Ortiz participated in. There is still a lot of information that has not been revealed, due to the probe being active.</p><p>Since the players were suspended in July, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/texas-rangers/ranger-news-jack-leiter-new-career-best-guardians-blowout">the Guardians have struggled</a>. The team is currently on a four-game losing streak. Still, the players on the current roster refuse to make excuses for their lackluster play.</p><p>“Honestly, we’ve lost lots of guys to injuries or guys who have been optioned or whatever,” Guardians catcher Austin Hedges said. “In baseball, it’s not a 26-man roster. It’s more like a 40-, 50-, 60-man roster. Our group is so resilient, whatever 26 we’re going to throw out there, we’re going to believe in them.”</p><p>Cleveland is trying to snap the losing streak on Sunday. The Guardians face off against the Texas Rangers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Stephen Vogt’s ‘message’ to Guardians amid Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz mystery

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/texas-rangers/ranger-news-jack-leiter-new-career-best-guardians-blowout');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ranger’ Jack Leiter sets new career-best mark in Guardians blowout');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Jack-Leiter-of-the-Texas-Rangers.jpg"><figcaption>Katie Stratman-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Ranger’ Jack Leiter sets new career-best mark in Guardians blowout</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-23T20:08:23-07:00">August 23rd, 8:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-23T20:10:03-07:00">August 23rd, 8:10pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/texas-rangers/rangers-news-jack-leiter-truth-bomb-first-start">Texas Rangers rode Jack Leiter’s best start of his young career</a> and a barrage of home runs to crush the Cleveland Guardians 10-0 on Saturday night in Arlington. It was Texas’s second straight win in the three-game series.</p><p>Leiter (8-7) turned in the best performance of his career. The 23-year-old <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/jack-leiter-s-10-k-s-rangers-offense-leads-to-shutout-win-over-guardians" rel="noopener">struck out a career-high</a> 10 batters across seven scoreless innings, allowing only two singles, one from Gabriel Arias in the third and another from Kyle Manzardo in the fourth.</p><p>He did not issue a walk, just the third time in 23 starts this season, he has avoided free passes. Leiter retired the final 10 batters he faced, and 21 of 23 overall, in what was also the first time he carried a scoreless start beyond the sixth inning.</p><p>Before the game, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/texas-rangers/rangers-news-marcus-semien-il-adolis-garcia-returns-injury">the Rangers placed second baseman Marcus Semien on the 10-day injured list</a> with a left foot contusion from Thursday’s game against the Kansas City Royals. It’s only the second time in his career he’s landed on the IL, and the first since 2017.</p><p>The Rangers’ bats provided more than enough support for Leiter. Texas hit three two-run home runs, Cody Freeman in the second inning, Josh Jung in the third, and Adolis Garcia in the fifth. Freeman’s blast, which followed a Jung walk, was the first home run of his major league career.</p><p>Jung’s shot, his 12th of the season, snapped a 14-game homerless drought during which he hit just .116/.156/.163. García, playing in his first game since returning from the injured list, launched his 17th homer of the year and his first since an ankle sprain sidelined him on August 13.</p><p>Freeman, Jung, and García weren’t the only contributors. Wyatt Langford doubled twice and walked, continuing a hot stretch late in the season. Ezequiel Duran, who entered the game slashing .386/.413/.477 over the previous two weeks, added a two-RBI double in the fourth inning and later drove in another run with a groundout.</p><p>In total, the Rangers collected six extra-base hits. Jung, who had struggled mightily at the plate, reached base in each of his first three plate appearances, scoring three runs.</p><p>Cleveland’s offense was held without an extra-base hit and did not advance a runner past first base until the ninth inning. The Guardians, who have now dropped seven of their last eight games, managed just three total hits. Their starter, left-hander Logan Allen (7-10), was hit hard, surrendering a career-worst nine runs in five innings.</p><p>Saturday’s rout was the Guardian’s heaviest shutout loss since a 17-0 defeat against the Athletics on August 12, 2021.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ranger’ Jack Leiter sets new career-best mark in Guardians blowout

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/3-prospects-guardians-must-promote-as-rosters-expand-for-2025-stretch-run');   ga('set', 'title', '3 prospects Guardians must promote as rosters expand for 2025 stretch run');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Cleveland-Guardians-second-baseman-Travis-Bazzana.jpg"><figcaption>© Phil Masturzo / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>3 prospects Guardians must promote as rosters expand for 2025 stretch run</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-19T15:09:40-07:00">August 19th, 3:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-19T15:09:40-07:00">August 19th, 3:09pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Cleveland Guardians enter Tuesday night’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at 64-60. That record has Stephen Vogt’s team as the first one out of the playoff picture. After a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-steven-kwan-trade-proposal-guardians">trade deadline filled with rumors around Steven Kwan</a> and others, Cleveland stood pat. Now, it is time for them to call up some prospects to play alongside Gavin Williams and Jose Ramirez.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-gavin-williams-no-hit-bid-vs-mets-makes-history-not-seen-since-2023">Williams just had one of the best starts of his entire career</a>. Ramirez, on the other hand, is well on his way to another appearance on the American League MVP ballot. As a team, the Guardians have the talent necessary to make a deep playoff run. Vogt guided his team to the ALCS last season, where they came within three wins of the World Series. This season could have the same result.</p><p>With less than 30 games left in the regular season, Major League Baseball’s roster expansion rule opens up possibilities. For the Guardians, it allows Vogt to give some top prospects a chance in the major leagues to leave their mark. Cleveland has quite a few prospects who are on the brink of their MLB debuts. In addition to that, the talent in their farm system is some of the best.</p><p>Cleveland is not a team that leans on their young players. However, the 2025 season is a big one for a team with some decisions to make this winter. For example, Kwan deserves a big payday when his contract expires at the end of the season. Someone is going to give him a large deal if he enters free agency without an offer in hand from the Guardians, making this season crucial.</p><p>Here are some names to look for as Vogt decides what to do with his new roster spots. Each could have a big impact.</p><h2>Travis Bazzana can help clean up Vogt’s infield</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Travis-Bazzana-.jpg"><figcaption>Credit: Phil Masturzo / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-why-cleveland-chose-travis-bazzana-no-1-mlb-draft-history">Bazzana was a big addition for the Guardians in the 2024 draft</a>. The No. 1 pick is an electric athlete at the plate and in the field. However, his numbers in the minor leagues have been average so far this season. A lot of that could be attributed to the fact that he went from rookie ball to Double-A to Triple-A in one year. That kind of promotion through the minors is very rare.</p><p>Bazzana is unique because of the balance that he brings to his team. At this point, Cleveland needs someone to come in and jump start their offensive attack. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-stephen-vogt-isnt-stressing-1-run-dud-vs-tigers">Vogt was not worried about the Guardians’ lackluster performances</a> at the plate earlier this season. Now, he is running out of time to figure out a solution. Luckily for him, his top prospect can fix the problem with little issue.</p><p>If Bazzana joined the team, he and Bryan Rocchio would compete for the starting spot at second base. Rocchio’s .237 average is not terrible, but <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/41217/brayan-rocchio" rel="noopener">three home runs and 31 RBIs</a> are nowhere near good enough. Bazzana could come in and provide much more offensive upside without sacrificing too much in the field. That kind of change can help give the Guardians their offense back.</p><h2>Chase DeLauter could audition as Steven Kwan’s replacement</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Chase-DeLauter.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>DeLauter did not make as many headlines as Bazzana did when he joined the Guardians. However, the outfielder is every bit as good as the second baseman. DeLauter and Bazzana are Cleveland’s top two prospects and a lot of the team’s future rides on both of them. Based on their production in the minor leagues, the future is bright for both. However, DeLauter’s role might be bigger.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/mlb-rumors-dodgers-blue-jays-linked-to-guardians-steven-kwan-trade">Kwan had interest from many teams around the trade deadline</a>. The All-Star outfielder is playing on a one-year deal that might be one of the best individual values in the league. However, his time with the Guardians might be coming to an end. Cleveland is a small market team when compared to the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. That means it has less money to spend.</p><p>Kwan has done everything Vogt and the organization could have asked him to. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-steven-kwan-100-real-future-trade-deadline">Guardians’ outfielder is focused on the rest of the season and loves playing for the team</a>. However, the front office’s price tag might be the determining factor when it comes to Kwan’s future. If Cleveland is unsure, Vogt should give DeLauter an audition to see if he can replace the All-Star moving forward.</p><h2>Parker Messick can join Gavin Williams in Vogt’s rotation</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Guardians-manager-Stephen-Vogt-12-takes-the-ball-from-starting-pitcher-Gavin-Williams-32.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Vogt lost one of his top pitchers when the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/toronto-blue-jays/blue-jays-news-toronto-shane-bieber-trade-guardians">Guardians traded Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays</a>. That move opened up a spot in the back end of Cleveland’s starting rotation. However, it also signified the end of an era when it comes to starting pitching for the Guardians. Now, the proverbial torch lies in the hands of players like Williams, Tanner Bibee, and eventually Messick.</p><p>Messick is Cleveland’s top pitching prospect. If things work out, he could be the latest success story to come out of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/ex-guardians-starter-confirms-pitching-factory-narrative">Guardians “pitching factory”</a>. Vogt’s player development program is famous for churning out quality starters and relievers. The question now is whether or not Messick is ready to take the final step into the major leagues. Now is as good a time as any to find out.</p><p>Cleveland’s hopes to win the AL Central is over. Now, the hope is that Ramirez and Co. can lead the team into the Wild Card picture and play spoiler against favorites in the postseason. Calling up top prospects could be the spark that motivates the team to charge into the playoff picture and make some noise this fall.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 prospects Guardians must promote as rosters expand for 2025 stretch run

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/1-guardians-player-cade-smith-2025-playoff-chances');   ga('set', 'title', '1 Guardians’ player who will make or break 2025 playoff chances');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/1-Guardians-player-who-will-make-or-break-2025-playoff-chances-1.jpg"></figure><h1>1 Guardians’ player who will make or break 2025 playoff chances</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-18T10:52:10-07:00">August 18th, 10:52am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-18T10:52:10-07:00">August 18th, 10:52am</time><address><a>Russell Steinberg</a>Russell Steinberg covers Major League Baseball and the New York Liberty for ClutchPoints. A baseball and basketball lifer, he has written for Boardroom, SLAM, SB Nation, The Next, and more. He graduated from NYU in 2012 and still returns to serve as PA announcer and occasional broadcaster for the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s been a strange year for the Cleveland Guardians.</p><p>After going to the American League Championship Series last year, the Guardians stumbled through the first half of the season, approaching the trade deadline with a sub-.500 record. To make matters worse, two Cleveland pitchers have been placed on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-emmanuel-clase-luis-ortiz-lockers-cleared-out-mlb-gambling-investigation">MLB’s restricted list amid gambling investigations</a>.</p><p>Through it all, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-cleveland-all-star-john-means-playoffs">Guardians came out of the deadline on fire</a>. They won three straight seasons to start August, including a sweep of the New York Mets to pull themselves right back into the playoff race. Though Cleveland spent the weekend losing three straight to the Atlanta Braves, it is still the first team out of the hunt in the American League Wild Card race.</p><p>There are a host of reasons why the Guardians are suddenly postseason contenders. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-jose-ramirez-marlins-home-run">Jose Ramirez is having his typical superstar</a> season and Gavin Williams has turned it on over the last couple months. Also, new bullpen additions Nic Enright and Erik Sabrowski have been outstanding.</p><p>It all matters. But down the stretch, no pitcher will have more pressure on him than Cade Smith. And early returns for Cleveland are promising.</p><h2><b>Cade Smith is suddenly the Guardians’ most important reliever</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Guardians-pitcher-Cade-Smith.jpg"><figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Smith wasn’t supposed to be the Guardians’ closer, but that’s the role he earned when Clase went on the restricted list. Manager Stephen Vogt originally planned to go closer-by-committee, but Smith has forced himself into the ninth-inning role. And, as any reliever will tell you, a <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/guardians/2025/08/walking-the-high-wire-a-challenge-cade-smith-embraces-guardians-takeaways.html" rel="noopener">move to the ninth inning</a> isn’t like just going from the seventh to the eighth.</p><p>“Anybody can walk across a four by six table,” Vogt explained to the media last week. “But you put the table up 3,000 feet in the air, who’s going to walk across it? That’s what pitching in the ninth is. That’s where the pressure is. It’s three outs, but it’s the last three outs of the game.”</p><p>Smith has performed admirably in his new role. He hasn’t given up a run in his last nine appearances and has a 0.69 ERA since July 22 — six days before Clase lost his roster spot. He also has <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/guardians/news/cleveland-guardians-have-a-new-closer-cade-smith-and-hes-thriving-in-that-role" rel="noopener">three saves and three wins</a> in that span.</p><p>“Cade’s Cade. No matter the spot, or situation, nothing is too big for him,” Vogt added, per Tommy Wild of SI Now. “He’s just embraced pitching later in games, not being the fireman, now getting a more traditional back end role. He has handled it unbelievably, and I’m excited to see what he going to do in the future.”</p><p>It should be no surprise that Smith has graded as one of the most effective relief pitchers in baseball this year — not quite at the level Clase produced last year, but that’s an impossibly high bar. And while his numbers, on the surface, look like they’ve taken a dip from last year, there reason to believe a lot of that are empty calories.</p><p>His ERA, for example, is higher in 2025 (2.62) vs. 2024 (1.91). Opponents are also hitting 10 points higher against him than they were last year, with his strikeout rate down a tick and his walk rate up. But look closer at the contact he is producing. <a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/cade-smith-671922?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb" rel="noopener">Opponents’ barrel rate</a> is down significantly (3.7% vs. 8.4%) while their exit velocity and hard hit rate have both dropped.</p><p>And while he isn’t striking quite as many players out, his strikeout rate is still 32.3%, which is one of the best marks in baseball.</p><p>Smith has been excellent and he’s only getting better.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

1 Guardians’ player who will make or break 2025 playoff chances

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-morgan-wallen-jim-thome-jersey');   ga('set', 'title', 'Morgan Wallen rocks Guardians legend Jim Thome jersey during concert');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Jim-Thome.jpg"><figcaption>© JON RATHBUN / Herkimer Times Telegram / USA TODAY NETWORK.</figcaption></figure><h1>Morgan Wallen rocks Guardians legend Jim Thome jersey during concert</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-16T07:34:38-07:00">August 16th, 7:34am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-16T07:34:38-07:00">August 16th, 7:34am</time><address><a>Josh Davis</a>Josh Davis is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints with a focus on MLB. As the founder and creator of OutOfSightSports, Josh spearheads the development and expansion of an engaging social media platform, with a core focus on Twitter/X. A passionate sports writer, Josh is dedicated to delivering compelling content that connects fans and fuels vibrant sports conversations. His vision is to craft stories so vivid that fans feel like they’re standing at the plate or on the field.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Celebrity</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Country music superstar Morgan Wallen delivered a viral moment in Cleveland when he hit the stage wearing a vintage Jim Thome jersey, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-jose-ramirez-jim-thome-contract-extension">giving a nod to the Cleveland Guardians and their storied history</a>. The surprise outfit change came during Friday night of his, “One Night at a Time” tour stop at Huntington Bank Field, the home of the Cleveland Browns in front of more than 70,000 fans.</p><p>The appearance wasn’t just a wardrobe change—it was a direct salute to Cleveland sports history. By wearing Thome’s jersey, Wallen honored one of the cities most iconic figures, turning the moment into a powerful connection with local fans.</p><p>In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) by Awful Announcing’s Ben Axelrod, Wallen was <a href="https://x.com/BenAxelrod/status/1956545187477426550" rel="noopener">photographed mid-performance</a> with the throwback jersey on full display.</p><p>“Morgan Wallen with the Jim Thome Indians jersey in Cleveland”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Morgan Wallen with the Jim Thome Indians jersey in Cleveland <a href="https://t.co/TjaBbRqvrf">pic.twitter.com/TjaBbRqvrf</a></p><p>— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenAxelrod/status/1956545187477426550?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The legendary career of the 2018 Hall of Fame inductee gave the moment even greater significance. Across 22 MLB seasons, he hit 612 home runs, ranking sixth all-time, and drove in nearly 1,700 RBIs. His years in Cleveland remain the most celebrated, with a franchise-record 337 homers, 937 RBIs, and a .287 batting average in 1,399 games. He also set the single-season club record with 52 home runs in 2002 and launched Progressive Field’s longest homer at 511 feet in 1999. For many locals, Wallen’s choice to wear the jersey represented a salute to one of the Guardians legends who defined an era of playoff runs in the 1990s and early 2000s.</p><p>Wallen kept the energy high throughout the night with hits like “Last Night,” “Whiskey Glasses,” and “Thinkin’ Bout Me,” while also teaming up with HARDY for a crowd-pleasing version of “He Went to Jared.” Earlier in the show, he added another sports connection by wearing a jersey of Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The move, along with his Thome tribute, underscored how the country star weaves sports culture into his performances.</p><p>Reactions to the jersey were mixed. Many fans praised the moment as a heartfelt crossover between country music and Cleveland’s baseball history. Others raised concerns about the Chief Wahoo logo and referenced past controversies tied to Wallen. Still, inside the stadium, the atmosphere was overwhelmingly positive, with chants of “Morgan! Morgan!” filling the air as fireworks capped the night.</p><p>In the end, Wallen’s decision to wear a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-white-sox/white-sox-news-jim-thome-eye-opening-grady-sizemore-endorsement">Thome</a> jersey went beyond a fashion statement. It was a deliberate move that celebrated a franchise icon, sparked conversation, and cemented his Cleveland stop as a highlight of the tour. For one night, the city’s passion for baseball and country music came together under the lights, turning the concert’s local nods into a headline moment.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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