Cleveland Guardians to call up Kyle Manzardo

At last, the moment everyone has been waiting for has finally come. The Cleveland Guardians are calling up highly regarded prospect Kyle Manzardo to the major league roster. This comes following an injury to outfielder Steven Kwan, which has resulted in being placed on the injured list, creating an opening on the roster that allows Manzardo to join the big-league club.

It was only a matter of time before Manzardo was going to be called up. Cleveland's number two prospect had nothing left to prove in the minors, slashing .303/.375/.642 with 10 doubles and nine home runs in 29 games. It was clear to anyone who was paying attention that any further time in Triple-A would be a complete waste of time for Manzardo. The injury to Kwan made it pretty much impossible for the Guardians to bring someone else up, as they need to find a way to replace his offensive production, and Manzardo appears more than ready to take on that task.

Manzardo should slide right into the Guardians lineup, potentially seeing time at first base and designated hitter alongside Josh Naylor. These two should be seeing the majority of time at both spots moving forward, considering they play the same position and finding a way to get them into the lineup on a regular basis. 

The Guardians acquired Manzardo last year in a highly criticized deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, which saw Aaron Civale being traded. As expected, local sports talk radio did not understand the move, as they have absolutely zero business discussing anything related to baseball, or any sport besides football for that matter. Even then, their analysis and opinions on anything are very much of the remedial variety. 

Acquiring Manzardo was about the big picture and identifying that last year's team was not a true contender. With a month of 2024 already in the books, there is a night and day difference between this year's team and last year's, with the current version clearly being superior. Being able to call up someone with Manzardo's offensive profile is only going to make the Guardians' lineup stronger.