Is it time to worry about Kyle Manzardo?

With each passing day and the list of moves that are made by the Cleveland Guardians to accommodate their roster needs, there continues to be one person in particular who is mysteriously absent from their transaction log. That individual would be Kyle Manzardo. The Guardians keep on shuffling their roster as needed, and for some bizarre reason, a player that could potentially be an offensive boost they are looking for remains in the minors. This begs the question, is it time to worry about Kyle Manzardo?

Manzardo made his major league debut earlier this season and was subsequently sent back down after 87 plate appearances. During his time in the majors, Manzardo was not exactly showing any encouraging signs offensively. Slashing .204/.241/.329 with 10 doubles and zero home runs, it was clear that the major leagues were a little bit too much for him. Granted, this happens to plenty of 23-year-olds when they first get called up, so this was not necessarily a surprising development. The surprise comes from the Guardians not bringing him back into the fold at a time when they could use someone with his projected offensive profile.

While it should be noted that Manzardo's time in Triple-A this season has gone much better than his previous experience at that level, mashing minor-league pitching is not necessarily the encouraging sign that anyone wants to hear. Sure, being able to record 17 doubles and 15 home runs is promising, but the distinct difference in performance level, AAA vs MLB, is something to keep an eye on.

Yes, it would be foolish to determine a player's future off of a sample size of less than 100 major league plate appearances, but it is somewhat puzzling that they continue to roster a few players who have known offensive ceilings rather than giving the once highly-touted prospect another shot in the bigs. Is there something they know about who he is as a player that is resulting in them opting to go with other players? Is it possible that Manzardo is another Quad-A player in the minors who is not able to adjust to major league pitching? These are the questions that will only grow in volume until Manzardo is given another chance in Cleveland, and with them will be the concerns about his viability as a big-league player.