Guardians restructure roster by sending utility infielder to Triple-A

On Sunday, rookie infielder Will Wilson sparked a Guardians rally by laying down a sacrifice bunt that helped lead a Guardians rally after Astros infielder Steven Okert misfired on his throw to first base.

It may be the last time we see him in a Guardians uniform for the forseeable future.

On Monday, the Guardians reinstated outfielder Lane Thomas from the injured list and sent Wilson down to Triple-A in the corresponding move.

Guardians call up Lane Thomas; demote Will Wilson

While Wilson's only hit .176 in 24 games this year, he's mostly been used as platoon option against left-handed pitchers as a platoon option on the infield to spell Daniel Schneeman.

But his time on the roster has come to an end due to the presence of the right-handed Thomas.

Thomas will likely slide Ángel Martínez back into a platoon role after he was serving as the team's main centerfielder in Thomas' absence.

The switch-hitting Martínez has gotten nearly three times more at-bats against right-handed hitters this year compared to against southpaws (129 vs. 46), and he'll likely continue to get those at-bats because of the current construction of the Guardians' roster.

The Guardians "bench" options now consist of the right-handed hitting David Fry, Johnathan Rodríguez and Gabriel Arias along with the left-handed hitting Schneemann and switch-hitting Martínez.

Martínez, Rodríguez and Schneemann can all fit into the black hole that is right field, while Schneemann, Martínez and Arias can fill in at second base and shortstop.

Fry can only play designated hitter, so the only way he can be in the lineup is as a DH or pinch-hitter.

As Zack Mesiel pointed out in his new story for The Athletic, the Guardians are at the bottom or near the bottom of offensive production in center field, right field, shortstop and catcher.

Thomas should fill the hole in center field and Rodríguez should slide into the right-handed side of the right field platoon that was previously occupied by Jhonkensy Noel.

Rodríguez went 1-for-3 on Sunday, but, per Mesiel, manager Stephen Vogt said that he's still working through some swing issues.

Simply put, the Guardians' offense has been nowhere near as good as it should be given how close the team got to the World Series last year.

Although they've tightened their roster picture by adding another everyday player to the roster, their bench is still based more around positional versatility than offensive prowess.

But this seems to be the bench they're planning on rolling with, barring anything unforeseen. The team announced on Monday that outfielder Will Brennan had a full left UCL repair, which will keep him out for six-to-eight months.

CJ Kayfus and Chase DeLauter are waiting in the wings as well, but the Guardians' decision to call Rodríguez up makes it seem as if the Guardians are okay giving them some more time in the minors.

But, until that happens, the outfield will be Thomas' show.