Lane Thomas creeps closer to being able to make a September return for the Guardians

At this point, there isn’t much that Lane Thomas could do to take away from the fact this is going to be a lost season for him. 

He struggled in the regular season for the Guardians last year after they acquired him from the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline, but made up for all of that with a huge swing against Tarik Skubal in the postseason. 

While there’s still a chance the Guardians could make the postseason this year, it’s looking more and more like they’ll be spending October sitting at home, which won’t do anything to help Thomas, who missed most of the year due to injury and struggled when he’s been on the field. 

But, according to some new comments from him, it seems like there’s still a chance that he could help the Guardians before the season is over. 

Could Lane Thomas make a September return? 

Thomas has hit just .160 with four home runs and 11 RBI in 39 games this year with the Guardians, and has missed time due to a wrist injury and right foot plantar fasciitis. He’s been on the injured list since July 6 due to the latter, but he began a rehab assignment with Double-A Akron on Tuesday. 

MLB’com’s Tim Stebbins caught up with him prior to the game, where he provided some insight into how he thinks his season has gone. 

“I’m not a huge believer in luck. But unlucky,” Thomas told Stebbins. “I don't know. From getting hit on the wrist and then dealing with this foot thing, it's just bad timing. But what can you do?... I felt good at the plate,” Thomas told Stebbins. “I feel like I swung at good pitches, didn't swing at stuff in the dirt. [I felt] good. It's just a small sample size.”

The injury bug first bit Thomas in the Guardians’ home opener when he was hit on the wrist by a Shane Smith changeup. He ended up missing a month due to the injury before returning in early May. He lasted less than a week on the roster before going on the injured list with that plantar fasciitis, which has been an injury he’s struggled with this year. 

But even if that injury has taken most of his season, he’s back on the path to returning to the bigs. Thomas played center field for five innings yesterday and is working to get back to being able to play a full nine innings. At that point, he could be an option for the Guardians. 

If he is able to make his return this year, he’ll be joining a crowded outfield. The Guardians called up outfielder George Valera and Jhonkensy Noel from Triple-A as a part of the September roster expansion, and they also have Nolan Jones and Angel Martínez as options as well. 

Thomas’ contract situation could also end up impacting things as well. The 30-year-old is set to be a free agent at the end of the season, so the Guardians may not want to give him at-bats if it means that it would take opportunities away from players like Valera and Jones. 

But, if the Guardians end up working their way back into the postseason picture, then they may not have a choice but to play Thomas given his proven veteran pedigree. 

The Guardians’ partnership with Thomas hasn’t worked out how either party wanted it to, but it looks like there’s still a chance it could end on a high note.