Maligned Guardians outfielder making most of minor league opportunity 

At this time last year, Nolan Jones was patrolling right field for the Cleveland Guardians. The shine that came from him being acquired in a trade had yet to fade. Hope was abound. 

Now he’s patrolling right field right field for the Columbus Clippers in Triple-A. While his salary for the 2026 season is guaranteed, a spot on the big league roster isn’t. 

It’s the furthest thing from guaranteed, in fact. 

After a sluggish spring, the Guardians outrighted Jones off their roster right before the start of the season. He had a chance to elect free agency after no teams claimed him, but doing so meant he would have forfeit the $2 million he’s guaranteed.

But it seems like Jones has taken the assignment in stride, as he entered play on Friday with a .364/.500/.818 slashline with three home runs and eight RBI through six games. 

His three home runs are tied for the International League lead, while his eight RBI are second behind Rece Hinds. 

It may be too little too late for Nolan Jones and the Guardians

While Jones struggled last year to the tune of a .211 batting average in 136 games, there’s no denying that he has the talent needed to succeed in the bigs. It’s just been a matter of execution. 

His strong exit velocity numbers were a great sign (he had an average exit velo of 90.7 miles per hour)... but it was outweighed by a strikeout rate of 28%. 

Those struggles have followed him to the minors (8 strikeouts in 22 at-bats), but it hasn’t seemed as intense thanks to a power surge that’s included three home runs and a double. 

However, it’s important to note the difference between Triple-A and the MLB. The sport is filled with countless players who did well in the minors but failed to produce in the bigs (the recently DFA’d Johnathan Rodríguez comes to mind). 

That said, Jones mashing against Triple-A pitching is still a good thing; it’s clearly better than him struggling. But it’s not like that success is going to result in him immediately getting called back up to the Guardians. 

It would be one thing if he was still on the team’s 40-man roster, but he lost his roster spot when he was outrighted, meaning the Guardians would have to make two roster moves to accommodate his addition. 

If the Guardians need additional help in their outfield, Petey Halpin or Khalil Watson would likely be first in line since they’re already on that 40-man roster. 

Jones will likely get another big league shot at some point in his career, but it’s going to be extremely difficult for that to happen with the Guardians this season.