3 Guardians who need to step up after Gabriel Arias’ injury

On Sunday, the Cleveland Guardians' infield suffered a big blow when Gabriel Arias went down with a right ankle injury that will keep him out for a significant period of time. The Guardians officially placed Arias on the injured list on Tuesday and called up Brayan Rocchio from Triple-A to take his spot on the roster.

While Arias had cooled off after a strong start to the season, he was still slashing .231/.293/.369 with six home runs and 31 RBI prior to getting hurt. While those numbers aren't eye-popping, it was some much-needed production for a Cleveland offense that’s been stuck in the mud for most of the year. 

Here are three Guardians who will need to step up in Arias’ absence.

3 Guardians who need to step up after Gabriel Arias’ injury

Brayan Rocchio
.165/.235/.198, 0 HR, 8 RBI in 35 games

We already detailed how Rocchio was poised to be the next man up after Arias’ injury, and Tuesday’s roster move confirmed that. Rocchio had an awful start to the season before Cleveland sent him down to Triple-A at the beginning of May, and has hit .252 in 41 games in Columbus since being demoted. 

Rocchio is a former top prospect who was a postseason hero for the Guardians last year, but he has yet to find any regular season consistency. He’s a full-time shortstop who will likely play everyday, but he could have a shorter leash this go ‘round.

Daniel Schneemann
.224/.307/.339, 8 HR, 22 RBI in 65 games

Schneemann fits the same super-utility mold as Arias, though he had recently settled into a full-time role at second base. 

Schneemann doesn’t get cheated at the plate (87th percentile in barrel rate) and is a good fielder (92nd percentile in Outs Above Average), but he’s a streaky hitter who can have a bit of a long swing at times. Schneeman hit .321 in a 21-game span from April 13 to May 9 , but he’s only hit .186 in the 37 games since.

Cleveland finished June with an MLB-worst .206 team batting average in June, which was due in large part to struggles from players like Schneemann. The Guardians don’t have a ton of MLB-ready options behind Schneemann (there’s a reason Rocchio was in Triple-A), and that depth took a hit with Arias’ injury. 

At this point, the Guardians have no choice but to keep rolling Schneemann out there in the hopes that he’ll be able to turn things around.

Ángel Martínez
.234/.259/.356, 5 HR, 25 RBI in 66 games

Martínez has been the Guardians’ main option in center field for most of the year thanks to Lane Thomas’ injury, but he’s almost exclusively played at second base since Thomas returned from the injured list in the middle of June. 

Arias’ injury will likely result in him moving around the infield a bit more, which could hopefully help him find more rhythm in his swing. He opened the season hot and was hitting .325 through 25 games, but has hit just .180 in the 41 games since. 

Martínez has one of the worst expected batting averages in all of baseball (.230), so it’s not like he’s getting robbed; he just simply hasn’t been able to get the job done in the batter’s box. 

It’s not a coincidence that the Guardians’ swoon has coincided with a cold streak from Martínez. While he’s hitting .292 in wins, he’s batting just .174 in losses. The Guardians will be relying on him even more now that Arias is out, and when he’s at his best he’s a spark plug at the bottom of the lineup. 

They’ll need more of that if they want a chance to make the postseason.