Steven Kwan looks more than ready for postseason run

No one could have said with any level of certainty that they were entirely sure that Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan would be 100% ready for the upcoming postseason. The safe bet was that the final few games would help him get back into the swing of things by facing an actual opposing pitcher for the first time since landing on the injured list. Apparently, Kwan had other ideas.

On the second pitch from Cincinnati's Jakob Junis, Kwan unloaded and sent the ball over the fence in right field, giving the Guardians an early 1-0 lead en route to their 5-2 win over the Reds.

Everyone was hoping for positive results from Kwan, but a home run in his first at-bat back caught more than a few by surprise. Maybe a routine single, perhaps even a double, but going right to home run? Yeah, pretty sure nobody could honestly say they were expecting that.

Kwan would finish the day going 2-4 with two runs scored, batting atop Cleveland's lineup. The 27-year-old two-time Gold Glove winner is now slashing .292/.365/.426 with 16 doubles, 14 home runs, and three triples while driving in 44 runs and scoring 83 times in 121 games this season.

The most important thing from Wednesday's contest is that Kwan is back, and he looks right. It does not even look like he missed a step, locking back in, and is ready to finish out the regular season on a strong note, with the postseason just around the corner. This is the best-case scenario, as everyone knows just how much of a difference-maker Kwan can be, not only in the batter's box but in the field as well. Simply put, the Cleveland Guardians are a much better team with Kwan, and their chances of advancing in the postseason significantly increase with him back in the fold.

Next up for the Guardians? A three-game set with the Houston Astros before getting prepared for the divisional series following their first-round bye.