Guardians' Lane Thomas injury replacement looks like intriguing late bloomer

Following an attempt to avoid placing injured outfielder Lane Thomas on the injured list due to a wrist injury, the Cleveland Guardians were eventually forced to place him on the IL. In his place, the Guardians called up intriguing 26-year-old infielder Will Wilson.

Wilson was productive at Triple-A Columbus before getting the call up to the majors, slashing .324/.418/.647 with six home runs and four doubles in 18 games for the Clippers. It was a no-brainer for the Guardians to bring up Wilson, considering his hot start in Triple-A. When players are performing at or near a similar rate to Wilson's, that is usually the best time to give them a chance in the majors. Something in their approach is clearly working, and it is better for them to have an opportunity when things are clicking rather than when they are scuffling at the plate.

Following his call-up, Wilson made his Major League Debut on Wednesday. Even though the Guardians did not end up victorious in the contest, Wilson was able to record his first Major League hit, going 1-4 in Cleveland's 5-1 loss to the New York Yankees.

From a positional perspective, Wilson should be in the mix for time in the infield, having played there the most in his minor league career (shortstop - 278 games, second base 99 games, third base - 67 games). This will provide relief to the likes of Jose Ramirez, Brayan Rocchio, and Gabriel Arias while allowing Angel Martinez and Daniel Schneemann to focus on the outfield in Thomas' absence (both could still make an appearance in the field depending on the matchup and fatigue/injury status of the previously listed group).

Whatever the Guardians are able to get out of Wilson while is on the major league roster should be mostly viewed as a bonus. Cleveland has a relatively full infield at the moment, and there are a few others waiting their turn in the minors. With a good enough performance, Wilson might be able to bump a non-regular for playing time, but the most likely scenario is that he returns to Columbus once Thomas is ready to return to action.