Guardians postseason icon seeking new home again after silent Orioles release

While Jhonkensy Noel finished his tenure with the Guardians with a negative bWAR due to his disastrous 2025 season, he’s always going to be beloved in Cleveland due to his fantastic game-tying home run against the Yankees in the 2024 American League Division Series. 

But it looks like he won’t get a chance to author one of those moments with the Baltimore Orioles, as he was released from the organization’s Triple-A team on Wednesday. He had been on the 7-day injured list prior to being released. 

(Big) Christmas in July has been canceled. 

Jhonkensy Noel is a free agent again

Noel’s time with the Guardians came to an end last December when the Guardians designated him for assignment to make room for reliever Justin Bruihl (who was subsequently DFA’d himself). 

He lingered in free agency for about a month before signing with the Baltimore Orioles, where he reunited with former Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz. 

They designated him for assignment two days later, and he ended up clearing waivers and starting the season at Triple-A. He appeared in 30 games with Norfolk but slashed just .121/.217/.243 with three home runs, 14 RBI and 36 steals. 

He appeared in one game in the Florida Rookie League on Tuesday and went 2-for-4 before being released. He had been on the injured list with left wrist inflammation, so it’s fair to wonder if something happened in relation to that injury that led to his release. 

Regardless, it’s another step in the wrong direction for Noel, who burst onto the scene in 2024 with his fantastic power, but all that momentum went away last season. 

He finished the year with a .162 batting average, 49% chase rate and OPS+ of just 31. He also appeared in one postseason game and recorded three strikeouts along with playing some subpar defense at first base. 

Noel held some clear value as a right-handed hitting power bat, which made his DFA hurt even more since the Guardians didn’t have much of a choice. 

And that decision has aged fairly well given Chase DeLauter’s turned into an everyday option in the outfield while Petey Halpin and Khalil Watson have made the most of their opportunities this season. 

It would have been tougher for that to happen had the Guardians not removed Noel from their roster. 

There’s also a bit of irony that Noel being released from Baltimore’s Triple-A team came on the same day the team called up Johnathan Rodríguez. 

All of this sets up a fairly obvious question: Will the Guardians decide to reunite with Noel?

While it would make sense given he wouldn’t take up a 40-man roster spot, his wrist injury is an obvious red flag. But if he’s healthy and/or ready to rehab again, it seems like an obvious reunion. 

Noel recorded the first (and so far, only) marquee moment of his career with the Guardians. Bringing him back would help pave the way for that to happen again.

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