Cleveland Indians: New arrivals falling short of expectations early

Amed Rosario

Staying on the list of players to come to Cleveland from the Lindor trade, we come to Amed Rosario. While Gimenez has struggled to settle in to his role, Rosario has been in the same boat but also has been working to find a role.

During Spring Training when it became clear that Gimenez was going to be the shortstop the Tribe put Rosario out in the outfield. Now, he’s playing most games but bouncing between center and shortstop.

Playing four seasons with the New York Mets, Rosario’s career numbers at the plate were in the range of .268/.302/.403 with his best season being 2019 when he had 30 doubles and 15 home runs. Through 20 games played in Cleveland, which in all fairness is a very small sample size, Rosario has just one double, one home run and a slash line of .153/.242/.220.

Luckily, Rosario has proven to be a steady glove in the lineup, being error-free through his first 20 games no matter where he is in the field. That has been enough to keep him in the lineup, but his lack of offensive production, especially when he’s been placed as the leadoff hitter on some nights, is concerning. Hopefully, he can start to turn it around at the plate.