Myles Straw embarrasses himself in return to Guardians

When it comes to players anyone expected to make an appearance for the Cleveland Guardians this season, it is pretty safe to say Myles Straw was at or near the bottom of that list. That all changed once the Cleveland Guardians found themselves in need of an outfielder following Steven Kwan's landing on the injured list. Cleveland recalled Straw from Triple-A Columbus, making his first major league appearance since last season.

As expected, Straw was not in the starting lineup and was relegated to a bench role, with Angel Martinez assuming Kwan's spot in left field. And while Straw would have to wait a little bit to make an appearance, he would get that opportunity following a leadoff single from Kyle Manzardo with the Guardians trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the 7th.

Straw would come in for Manzardo as a pinch runner, a role that most have campaigned for him to be in for quite some time, with the hope he could be the tying run should things go right. Unfortunately, Straw's time on the basepaths was quite short. Straw was immediately picked off of first by Twins pitcher Ronny Henriquez, sending him back to the dugout from which he just emerged.

This was not just an embarrassing moment for Straw. It was an unacceptable series of events from someone who was tasked with doing the one thing he was supposed to be good at. Running the bases. It is like there was a genuine reason why he has spent the entire season in the minors up to this point, and not just because there are far superior options Cleveland decided to go with. Straw is no longer a major league-caliber player and has absolutely no business being in the Guardians' dugout.

If Cleveland's front office is looking for a legitimate to cut ties with someone who clearly has no future with their organization, they should take a long and hard look at what took place on Tuesday night. Straw's lack of awareness on the basepaths in a situation where he could prove himself useful to the ballclub is completely inexcusable and should result in his prompt removal from the roster.