Injured Guardians outfielder pain free, could return to play next week

The Cleveland Guardians have been without outfielder Lane Thomas for quite a while, but it appears that absence could be coming to an end relatively soon.

Before Friday night's game against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt stated that Thomas said he is "pain-free" and could begin playing again sometime next week, with the expectation of that being on a rehab assignment.

Thomas has been out of action since being placed on the injured list on April 22nd, with the placement being retroactive to April 20th. This was due to being hit by a pitch in Cleveland's home opener back on April 8th. Thomas tried to play his way through and avoid a stint on the injured list, but it was determined that the best course of action for all parties involved would be for him to go on the IL.

Considering the length of his absence, Thomas landing on the IL was the right move, as it has allowed the Guardians to explore other outfield configurations, including the increased playing time of Angel Martinez and Daniel Schneemann. The duo of Martinez and Schneemann have been very productive during Thomas's time on the IL, being two of Cleveland's unsung heroes as of late.

Hopefully, once Thomas returns, he will be a more productive bat in the lineup for the Guardians, as he struggled mightily at the plate before landing on the injured list. In 13 games, Thomas had seven hits in 45 at-bats with 15 strikeouts compared to just one walk. Only one of Thomas's hits have been of the extra-base variety, a double which came all the way back on April 4th in Los Angeles. Thomas would go 3-19 at the plate following his only non-single with eight strikeouts, not exactly the level of production they were hoping for.

If Thomas can be at least moderately productive once he is activated, it should push one or both of Nolan Jones and Jhonkensy Noel to the bench, if not off of the roster entirely, but that is a completely different discussion for a later date.