Johnathan Rodríguez deserves a legitimate shot in the Guardians lineup

The story of 2025 Cleveland Guardians has been a simple one.

Too many injuries. Too many underperforming bats.

This campaign started with plenty of promise before being derailed by inconsistent play in the outfield and a lack of production from some young players on the roster.

In a perfect world, the Guardians would upgrade their outfield at the trade deadline. But with their postseason hopes getting dimmer by the day, they may need to let some young guys get a look in the outfield, which means that it's it is time for the Guardians to give Johnathan Rodríguez a real shot.

The Guardians have nothing to lose by giving Johnathan Rodríguez everyday at-bats

The 25-year-old was previously viewed as a top prospect in Cleveland's system, but he still hasn't gotten a legitimate shot to stake his claim on an outfield spot.

Rodríguez has nothing left to prove at Triple-A, as he boasts a .301/.391/.534 slashline across 211 games with the Clippers, and was named the International League MVP last year.

He earned his first career MLB callup last May, which led to fans dreaming of him smashing balls onto Progressive Field's home run porch.

Instead, the Guardians did what they normally does with prospects and stunted his growth by giving him very few chances at the plate.

Instead of riding the high he generated in the minor leagues, they brought him up to pinch hit and play every few days. He ended the year with just 31 at-bats across 13 games.

While he only went 4-for-31 across those at-bats (.129 average) , he still posted a solid .325 on-base percentage thanks to him recorded nine walks compared to just 14 strikeouts.

The best thing for him would have been to get more playing time, but the Guardians elected to utilize him as a fourth outfielder as they attempted to make a run for the World Series.

They've had a fall from grace this year. Just one year after finishing 92-69 record, they entered play on Wednesday with a 42-48 record.

They've gone11-22 since June 1 and are 5 1/2 games out of a playoff spot.

Their run differential is at -53 and the team currently sports a .224 batting average, putting them 29th in MLB ahead of only the lowly Chicago White Sox.

All of that leads us to one question: if the team is struggling so bad, why is Rodríguez not getting a chance to play?

That question is easier asked than answered.

The simple response is that he should be playing more. He's only played in 18 games across his two stints with the Guardians. He's hit .143 across those games, and his on-base percentage has dropped to just .200.

But one of the main reasons for that drop could be that Rodríguez could be trying to hit a six-run home run every time he goes to the plate since he's barely getting any playing time.

Right now, the Guardians need to give him a chance to see what he can do as an everyday outfielder. It's clear that he's not succeeding in a pinch-hitter, fourth outfielder role, and the team should do everything to get him out of that role and into a spot where he can hit everyday.