2 Guardians hitters who need to heat up, 2 who need to stay hot 

The first month of the 2026 MLB season has come and gone, and the Cleveland Guardians are in a solid spot.

While the Guardians are tied with the Tigers for the top spot in the division, they were able to navigate their season-opening gauntlet and have gotten plenty of contributions from players up and down the roster. 

But just because they’ve gotten production from some players doesn’t mean there isn’t room to improve in other ways. 

Angel Martínez needs to stay hot for the Guardians 

This is Martínez’s final form. After struggling last year as a full-time center fielder, Martínez has moved over to the corners this year and found success. 

He entered the weekend slashing .271/.320/.457 with three home runs, 10 RBI and four steals, which is a tangible example of just how much his skillset can help the Guardians. 

Even if he still isn’t a complete product in the outfield (-2 Defensive Run Saved), it’s a bit more manageable considering he’s in a corner outfield spot as opposed to center field. 

He isn’t without his flaws at the plate either (40.1% chase rate), he’s provided the Guardians with some much-needed offense. He could end up being one of the decided factors as to whether or not the Guardians make the postseason. 

Bo Naylor needs to heat up for the Guardians 

Another year, another disappointing offense performance from Naylor. 

While he has all the tools in the world, the 26-year-old has hit just .150 through his first 18 games and seems to be in serious trouble of batting under .200 for the second straight season. 

He’s on pace for the best strikeout rate of his career (22%), but hasn’t been able to do much with any ball he’s put in play. 

It looked like he was on pace to turn things around after hitting his first home run of the season against the Cardinals last week, but he entered the weekend having gone 0-for-9 since. 

The Guardians can only ask for Austin Hedges to hold down the fort for so long. 

Brayan Rocchio needs to stay hot for the Guardians

It may seem hard to believe, but Rocchio entered the weekend leading the Guardians with 15 RBI. Not only is he not considered much of a power hitter, but he’s also hitting out of the No. 9 spot in the lineup, which isn’t really associated with run production. 

But the 25-year-old has made the most of his opportunity this season, and seems to be benefiting from his move back to shortstop after Gabriel Arias got injured. 

Although none of his batted ball metrics jump off the page, he’s nearly cut his strikeout in half (11% this year compared to 20.1% in ‘25) and is hitting .341 off fastballs. 

While no one’s expecting Rocchio to lead the Guardians in RBI throughout the entire season, his production has been a welcome boost at the bottom of the lineup. 

Juan Brito needs to heat up for the Guardians 

Although Brito burst onto the scene with a 4-for-8 showing across his first two games in the bigs, he’s struggled since and is in the midst of a 2-for-29 slump. 

Brito would have made his big league debut prior to this season had his minor league journey not been waylaid by injuries, but his first taste of big league action has left a bit to be desired. 

That said, it’s hard to imagine the Guardians making a change, even with Travis Bazzana raking in the minors. 

Bazzana’s not on the 40-man roster, so the Guardians would need to make some kind of subtraction to add him. Couple that with Arias’ return getting closer, and it seems like Brito’s going to get plenty of chances to turn things around. 

The Guardians are going to need him to do so. 

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