Five former players the Guardians should consider bringing back

3. Robbie Grossman

Even though Robbie Grossman never made a major league appearance during his brief stint with Cleveland, he did appear in 34 games for the Columbus Clippers during the 2016 season. Grossman would eventually opt out of his contract in mid-May, ultimately signing with the Minnesota Twins. The switch-hitting outfielder would go on to hit a career-high 27 doubles with the Twins in 2018 and 23 home runs during his one-year stint with the Detroit Tigers.

Grossman has managed 20+doubles in five of the last six years, excluding the abbreviated 2020 season. The home run total tends to be on the opposite end of the spectrum, with Grossman hitting 10 or more in just three of the last seven years.

Considering his age (34) and his inconsistent output at the plate in recent years, Grossman may be better off in a role where he is not an everyday player. Grossman would appear in 48 of the first 55 games for the Rangers last year (46 starts) to start the year. That would decrease to 15 games in June (12 starts in 27 games), 14 in July (nine starts in 24 games), 17 in August (14 starts in 27 games), with a slight uptick in September/October, making 18 starts in 21 appearances over 29 games.

Cleveland might be able to work his bat into the lineup a few times a week in a part-time role that could help the current roster while still allowing some flexibility for outfield prospects down the road.