Finally! Guardians make overdue roster move with Gabriel Arias

In need of a spot on the major league roster due to activating outfielder Will Brennan from the injured list, the Cleveland Guardians have decided to option the struggling Gabriel Arias to Triple-A.

The Guardians gave Arias every chance possible to prove that he belongs in the major leagues, but he has simply been incapable of taking advantage of those opportunities. In an effort to try and find someplace for him to play, Cleveland deployed Arias at third base, shortstop, second base, first base, center field, left field, and right field this season. Essentially, they were letting Arias play himself on the big league roster, and he managed to do just that.

While Arias may not have appeared in every single game for the Guardians this season, he has played more than enough to warrant this type of decision. With a .222/.255/.353 slash line in 161 plate appearances, Arias continued to show that he is an offensive black hole that does not deserve any more playing time with the Guardians. Not helping matters is his strikeout rate is currently sitting at 32.9% this season, slightly higher than his career average of 32.3%.

Some were still holding out hope that Arias would be able to build upon his 2023 season, which saw him collect 15 doubles and 10 home runs in 122 games. The main problem for Arias, then and now, is that his overall slash line was a disaster. Arias slashed .210/.275/.352 in 2023 and struck out just 0.1% less frequently last season. Seeing no improvement from Arias in 2024 only made the front office's decision to option him to Triple-A that much easier.

Even though his value is very low right now, and the Guardians may not get much for him via trade, perhaps they could send him along with a few other players in order to upgrade their roster ahead of the trade deadline. It is very clear that he does not fit with the Guardians' competitive timeline right now, but perhaps a team that is a ways away from being remotely close to playoff contention would be willing to give the 24-year-old an extended look to see if they can get something out of him. But for now, the Guardians will be better off with him not on their major league roster as they look to win the American League Central and go on a deep postseason run.