Guardians would be wise to keep banged up outfielder out of action

The good news? The Cleveland Guardians were able to send the crowd home happy in Tuesday's 1-0 Home Opener win over the Chicago White Sox. The bad news? Lane Thomas exited the contest with an injury.

White Sox starter Shane Smith hit Thomas with a pitch in the bottom of the 5th inning, resulting in Thomas being removed from the game. Thomas's injury has been reported as a right wrist contusion, with the X-rays coming back negative. Even though disaster was avoided, it would be in the best interests of Thomas and the Guardians to keep him out of action for at least the next two games.

Cleveland has a night game on Wednesday and an afternoon game on Thursday before the Kansas City Royals come to town for a three-game set at Progressive Field. The Guardians having their next two games take place in a relatively short span of time could make it difficult for Thomas to not only play but be effective while doing so.

Keeping him out until the weekend could give his wrist time to heal so that he could be healthy enough to play this weekend. It is all about the big picture here, and the Guardians need to be careful with players they are counting on to play big roles for their ballclub this season. Having Thomas play while not 100% is an unnecessary risk this team cannot afford to make this early in the season.

It should also be noted that Thomas has had a rough start to the 2025 season, slashing .167/.212/.200, with only one of his five hits on the season going for extra-bases. Considering his struggles at the plate, getting a little time off to refcous and adjust his approach would be beneficial in the long term for all parties involved.