2 Guardians who deserve promotion to MLB roster, 2 who should be spent to Triple-A

The Cleveland Guardians are currently facing an uphill climb.

With the Guardians were quiet at this year's trade deadline, they're going to have to make some changes if they want to stay competitive through the rest of the campaign.

As they look to hold a steady sport in the American League Central race, it may be time for the front office to shuffle roles and send some struggling contributors to Triple-A while rewarding top prospects with a chance to shine at Progressive Field.

With that in mind, here are two players they need to send to Triple-A, and two they need to promote.

2 Guardians who deserve promotion to MLB roster, 2 who should be spent to Triple-A

Guardian who needs to be sent to Triple-A: INF Brayan Rocchio

Cleveland decided to hand the keys to shortstop to Rocchio in 2023 in the hope that his fielding and athleticism would translate from the minors to the majors and help him find some success at the plate.

And while he's put together plenty of highlight plays in the field since he earned his first promotion, he hasn't been able to do much at the plate.

Rocchio entered play on Monday with a career slashline of .216/.290/.319 across 230 games. While he was once regarded as the future of the Guardians' infield, he's lost all that shine, and the Guardians should pull the plug because of it.

It also helps that Cleveland has plenty of replacements already on the roster. in Angel Martínez, Daniel Schneeman and Gabriel Arias. All three can play shortstop in a pinch, and deserve all the reps they can get.

Sending Rocchio down to Columbus would give him a chance to reset his swing and regain confidence while also freeing up at-bats for other players like rookie CJ Kayfus.

Guardian who needs to be sent to Triple-A: LHP Logan Allen

After opening the season on a bit of a heater, Allen fell back to early as the season went on in large part due to his penchant for giving up the longball. Allen's allowed at least one home run in nine of his last 12 starts, and has given up 3+ runs n half of his starts over that span.

Allen doesn't have an overpowering arsenal, so he runs the risk of giving up meatballs if he doesn't hit his spots.

Cleveland's minor league system is filled with major league-ready pitching, so the Guardians have plenty of guys they could pop into the rotation to give Allen a breather.

Guardian who deserves a promotion: RHP Khal Stephen

The Guardians just grabbed Stephen in return for Shane Bieber, and he's been one of the hottest pitchers in the minors this year.

The 22-year-old has had an excellent season across three different levels of the minors, amassing a 1.75 ERA across 87 innings. He recently earned a promotion to Double-A prior to being traded to Cleveland, where he made just one start before landing on the 7-day injured list.

While it's not a major injury, it's definitely give him a setback that will put a time limit on when he can return to the mound.

That said, he's been a proven player in the minors, and should be on the team's radar for some late-season bullpen help.

His fastball/changeup combination that misses bats has already grown to be incredibly consistent. If he can maintain his season trajectory in Akron, Cleveland should consider using him in the bullpen late in the season.

Guardian who deserves a promotion: OF Jhonkensy Noel

The Guardians need some more power in their lineup, and Noel can be the answer.

The Guardians currently sit 18th in MLB in home runs (117) and are 26th in slugging percentage with a mark of .378.

With an obvious need for power, the Guardians should look to call-up Noel as the year hits its tail-end.

While his first stint with the Guardians this year didn't go well, he's hit .275 in 39 games in Triple-A this year to go along with 11 doubles, nine home runs and 25 RBI.

The Guardians' outfield has struggled mightily this year, and Noel deserves a chance to try to try to mash against MLB pitching again.