5 Guardians who must prove their worth in 2025

3. Tyler Freeman - Outfielder/Infielder

The path to playing time in Cleveland has not been an easy one for Tyler Freeman, but he finally got his chance in 2024 and it became clear that perhaps it was not the best idea for his time on the field to be increased.

Freeman slashed just .209/.305/.321 with 14 doubles and seven home runs in 118 games for Cleveland last season, far from an encouraging performance at the plate. The only real reason why Freeman got the volume of appearances he saw last season is due to the lack of quality outfield options in Cleveland, not named Steven Kwan. The arrival of Lane Thomas and the debut of Jhonkensy Noel did provide other outfielders for the Guardians, but neither are full time players, and this allowed Freeman to still make some appearances in the final two months of the season.

The only real reason why Freeman may stick on Cleveland's major league roster and continue to make appearances is due to his ability to play multiple positions and being better than the other options the Guardians have available to them who fit this description. Ideally, Freeman would be able to improve his performance at the plate, but even if he is not able to, he is still a superior option when compared to the likes of Daniel Schneemann and Gabriel Arias.