The Cleveland Guardians have the opportunity to do something epic

Following Thursday's off day, the Cleveland Guardians will be taking on the Milwaukee Brewers in a three-game series beginning on Friday. While this series will be one to watch due to the competitiveness destined to take place in Milwaukee, the Guardians could potentially make the series opener must-watch television.

The Brewers are slated to have former Guardians pitcher Aaron Civale take the mound for the first of three games in Milwaukee. Cleveland traded Civale to Tampa Bay last season as part of their soft sell at the deadline, and has subsequently been acquired by the Brewers this year. With Civale's former and current squads meeting up this weekend, this gives the Guardians a chance to do something incredibly epic. Call up and start the player Civale was traded for, Kyle Manzardo.

Manzardo is currently with the Columbus Clippers, Cleveland's Triple-A affiliate following a brief major league stint that did not go particularly well. The 23-year-old first baseman slashed just .207/.241/.329 with 10 doubles in 87 plate appearances. Even though he was able to accumulate double-digit doubles, his failure to hit a home run during that time was very concerning. The Guardians were hoping to pair Manzardo with Josh Naylor at first base and have the two share time at the designated hitter spot when necessary, but clearly, those plans did not work out, resulting in Manzardo returning to Triple-A.

It has been a night and day difference for Manzardo in the minors compared to his time in the majors this season. In 68 games, Manzardo has 17 doubles and 16 home runs while slashing .269/.399/.550 in 298 plate appearances. This is a much better representation of his skill level and what he projects to be as a hitter moving forward rather than the 30-game sample size in Cleveland earlier this year.

No one should have been surprised that Manzardo struggled when first coming up to the majors. In fact, it should have been somewhat expected. Plenty of players have a difficult time adjusting to the difference between minor and major league pitching, and Manzardo was no exception. But now that he has experienced major league pitching and has time to work on the issues that have been holding him back, there is no time like the present to give him another shot with the Guardians, and facing the player he was traded for last season seems more than fitting. All Cleveland needs to do is bring Manzardo back up and watch the magic happen.