Cleveland Guardians prospects: A Kyle Manzardo promotion feels imminent (maybe)

There have been a few notable major-league promotions this week, with Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter and Dodgers outfield prospect Andy Pages being called up to their respective teams, conveniently soon after the deadline when teams gain an extra year of control over them.

You'll likely see more prospect promotions coming in waves over the coming weeks, and it should include Cleveland Guardians first base prospect Kyle Manzardo, who is currently waiting in the wings at Triple-A Columbus.

Why Guardians Fans Should Expect to See Kyle Manzardo in Cleveland Soon

Simply put, he has nothing else to prove in the minors. There has been, of course, talk about getting Manzardo to work on hitting the high fastball, but really, anyone who follows baseball knows exactly why Manzardo isn't yet up with the major-league team.

After a somewhat slow start to the minor-league season, Manzardo has already begun to heat up, and he now owns a .265/.371/.408 slash line with a home run, four doubles, and six RBI in 62 appearances. Most impressive is his ten walks to ten strikeouts, which will certainly play at the major-league level.

The bottom rung of the Guardians' roster is currently fighting for playing time and to avoid being the victim of a Manzardo call-up. Between Estevan Florial, Gabriel Arias, Brayan Rocchio, Tyler Freeman, Will Brennan, Ramón Laureano, and maybe even Austin Hedges, someone will have to go once Manzardo gets the call. Now, the other wrinkle - aside from Manzardo being a first baseman - is that he is not yet on the 40-man roster, so there would need to be the corresponding move there as well.

But Manzardo is so obviously ready for the major-league level; the Guardians will absolutely find a way to make it work. Current first baseman Josh Naylor is off to a fantastic start himself, but it would never hurt to get him a little more time at DH. And even though Manzardo is a fellow lefty, the Guardians lineup would look so much better with Manzardo backing up Naylor rather than Freeman, who really has no business hitting fifth most days.

As the season progresses, expect to see plenty of churn from that back-end of the Guardians' roster; there are numerous prospects waiting in the wings, and Cleveland won't sit on its hands with many of these guys. Eventually - and sooner than later - the time will come for Kyle Manzardo to join this intriguing young roster.