2 Guardians who have played their way into an Opening Day roster spot, 2 who haven't

Codi Heuer is playing himself off the Guardians’ Opening Day roster

Even if it feels a bit unfair to put Heuer on this list since he’s in camp as a non-roster invitee, he hasn’t done a ton to show that he’s earned a spot on the Guardians’ Opening Day roster. 

The key word there is Opening Day, however, as there’s still a  clear path for Heuer to help the Guardians at some point during the 2026 season.

Heuer didn’t pitch at all in MLB from 2022 to ‘24 due to a variety of below injuries, and he threw just 4 2/3 innings last season. This is the first “normal” spring he’s had in a half-decade, so it was only natural for him to have some rust. 

And that rust has been evident, as he’s allowed seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings this spring, though his fastball has reached 98.4 miles per hour this spring. 

Heuer was always going to have an uphill battle to earn a roster spot, but it’s clear that he still needs some more time before he can become an option in the bullpen later in the season.