3 players (and 1 position group) who need to heat up for Guardians

Earlier this week the Guardians promoted Travis Bazzana from the minor leagues in an attempt to spark their listless offense. But one of the best ways they could turn things around is by getting some more contributions from some of the players on their roster who limped their way through April.

Here are three players (and one position group) that need to heat up if they want to stick on the Guardians' big league roster.

The Guardians have a variety of players who need to be better in May

C Bo Naylor

Although Naylor's expected statistics are encouraging, Naylor's struggles this year have gotten us to a point where it's time to have a tough conversation.

Catching prospect Cooper Ingle was tearing things up in Triple-A before he was placed on the 7-day IL, and he'd be a clear replacement for Naylor considering he also hits left-handed.

It's hard to give up on a player with so much potential who used to be so highly regarded, but the clock has started to tick for Naylor.

SS Gabriel Arias

Arias is in one of the worst situations an athlete can be; getting replaced while injured and not being able to do anything about it. Second base is locked up for the foreseeable future thanks to Travis Bazzana's promotion, and Brayan Rocchio has continued to look like an everyday player at short.

That leaves Arias as a depth piece, and Milan Tolentino is making a case to take that spot with his hot start in Columbus. 

SP Slade Cecconi

Cecconi's had a very rough start to the season.

Not only has he allowed 4+ earned runs in four of his six starts this season, but he's only made it through six innings once.

Although no pitcher in Triple-A has made a strong claim for Cecconi's roster spot, but Logan Allen has proven that he can be a capable fifth starter when needed. Furthermore, Khal Stephen and Matt Wilkinson are lurking in Akron, waiting on their time which may be coming sooner than expected. 

The entire bullpen

While this isn't a "player" per se, the Guardians bullpen has started the season with some uncharacteristic struggles, and there are a number of players who are likely at risk of losing their roster spot.

Matt Festa and Connor Brogdon have both been subpar out of the gate, Hunter Gaddis has had poor returns since coming back from injury and even Shawn Armstrong and Cade Smith have had slow starts.

Armstrong (who is currently on the injured list) and Smith likely have no risk to their spots in the 'pen, but the rest need to get going. If this keeps up, prospects Daniel Espino and Franco Aleman could see time in Cleveland before the summer starts. 

The Guardians will likely see a number of players make the trek up I-71 from Columbus to Cleveland this season. If players want to make sure they stay with the big league club, they will need to consistently bring value to the club.

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