Guardians' Cooper Ingle’s demotion shouldn’t do anything to diminish hype

On Thursday morning, the Guardians shuffled their outfield deck by sending Cooper Ingle down to Triple-A in place of Petey Halpin. 

Two weeks ago, such a move would have seemed blasphemous given Ingle’s prospect pedigree and the Guardians’ offensive struggles. But we’re at a point now where Ingle’s demotion was almost a necessity given how his first taste of the big leagues went. 

But just because he’s had some struggles now doesn’t mean his big league career is doomed. In fact, it may mean just the opposite. 

The Guardians made the right decision to send Cooper Ingle down to the minors

Ingle ended up appearing in seven games with the Guardians, where he went 2-for-21 with two RBI, three walks and three walks. But the biggest moment of his short career was when he tossed a ball in the stands after making a catch with just two outs.

That moment came in the fourth game of his big league career, and he played in three games with the Guardians in their home series against the White Sox last weekend. 

He didn’t play in the first two games in Guardians’ series against the Twins before being demoted. 

The Guardians don’t like calling up top prospects unless they’re able to get everyday playing time, and Ingle wasn’t getting that, whether it be because the Guardians wanted to limit his playing time or if Ingle was struggling to adjust to MLB pitching or the change that came with transitioning to become a full-time outfielder.  

This demotion will give Ingle an opportunity to get back in the swing of things in Triple-A while not having to worry about the kind of impact he’s making on the Guardians’ big league roster. 

They’re filling his place on the roster with Halpin, who had hit .312 with two home runs and six RBI in seven games at Triple-A since getting demoted at the end of June. 

Halpin posted a .170/.185/.226 slashline with one home run, two RBI and 16 strikeouts in 28 games with the Guardians. By no means is Halpin an everyday player, but he’s a great fourth outfielder. 

That role had previously been filled on the roster by Stuart Fairchild, but that spot opened up when the Guardians designated him for assignment last week. 

Even if Halpin’s the one who is going to be on the Guardians’ roster for the time being, Ingle still has a bright future with the Guardians. 

MLB Pipeline has him ranked as the No. 3 prospect in Cleveland’s system, and has a .284/.416/.551 slashline in 51 games in Triple-A. 

While the Guardians obviously would have preferred if Ingle had set the world on fire in his first MLB action, things don’t always go according to plan.

This demotion shouldn’t do anything to take away from the buzz that came when he made his big league debut. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow