The Cleveland Guardians need to promote Brayan Rocchio from Triple-A immediately
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The Cleveland Guardians look like a listless team in nearly every facet of the game right now. And yet, they are still 14-17 as they begin an important weekend series at home with the AL Central-leading Twins.
The Guardians have already been proactive in reshaping the starting rotation on the fly, promoting Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee, who have both impressed in their limited time.
Now, it's time to shake things up on offense, and the team could start by promoting infielder Brayan Rocchio from Triple-A Columbus (to actually play this time).
Where Would Brayan Rocchio Play?
Rocchio primarily plays shortstop and second base, which might initially present some challenges in finding him playing time. If Rocchio is getting the true call up to Cleveland, the Guardians will need him to get at-bats nearly every day.
That being said, Amed Rosario is quickly wearing out his welcome. Even if you take into account one of his patented hot stretches that will appear at some point this season, Cleveland doesn't have the luxury right now of waiting around for it. Rosario is hitting just .227/.263/.318 with one home run, six RBI, and a brutal 64 OPS+ - and that's primarily with him batting second.
Not to mention Rosario already has six fielding errors this season, putting him right near the top of the leaderboard for this unsavory stat.
The fact is, the Guardians want to contend this year, and Rosario just isn't doing anything to warrant an ironclad grip on playing time. Manager Terry Francona has more than enough flexibility in his lineup to get Rocchio significant playing time even without completely abandoning Rosario, and it's a move that has to happen immediately.
Rocchio has nothing left to prove in the minors, as the 22-year-old is now hitting a robust .363/.426/.500 with ten doubles, 15 RBI, and nine stolen bases in 115 plate appearances. Oh, and by the way, Rocchio is currently in the midst of a minor-league-leading 16-game hitting streak.
What more needs to be said about him at this point? The time has come to see what he can do in the majors, where he could instantly become a spark to an offense stuck in neutral, nursing an ALDS hangover.
Brayan Rocchio extends his MiLB-leading hit streak to 16 games 🔥
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 4, 2023
The @CleGuardians' No. 6 prospect collects a pair of doubles and a long single for the @CLBClippers. pic.twitter.com/gS9FaMnGe5