Rhys Hoskins latest comments show just good he can be for Guardians in 2026

Guys like Rhys Hoskins aren’t supposed to sign minor league contracts. Even if baseball is moving away from offering big paydays to bat-first options like him, a player with Hoskins’ résumé isn’t supposed to have to settle for a minor league contract with one of the league’s worst offensive teams. 

But here we are. 

Last weekend, Hoskins agreed to a minor league deal with the Guardians that will pay him $1.5 million if he makes the team’s roster. The deal being a “minor league contract” feels a bit of a formality given it doesn’t seem like there’s any way the Guardians would keep him off their roster so long as he’s healthy and hitting for power. 

Hoskins spoke to the team’s beat on Friday about his contract and future with the Guardians, where he provided some insight into exactly how he thinks the 2026 season will go for him. And he had some good things to say. 

Rhys Hoskins seems motivated to produce for the Guardians in 2026

“Talking with (Stephen Vogt) and the way that he sees this team and how he sees the game, I think matches up with a lot of things that I've been able to accomplish in my career,” Hoskins said, per MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins. [I’m] trying to come in here and find a way to make an impact and make this team and help these guys win.”

And it’s a career that’s featured lots of home runs. 186 of them to be exact. 

Last year Hoskins hit just 12 home runs, which is a bit of a down year by his standards. But that output was impacted by a thumb injury that put him on the injured list as well as the presence of Andrew Vaughn. 

Vaughn, who spent the first 4 1/2 seasons of his career with the white Sox, broke out after being acquired by the Brewers, which forced Hoskins to the bench. 

But the last time Hoskins had everyday playing time, he slugged 26 home runs in 2024. 

In speaking to reporters, Hoskins called his 2025 season “incomplete.” 

Hoskins’ marquee season came in 2022 when he smashed 30 home runs for a Phillies team that made it all the way to the World Series. But any chance he had to build on that season was dashed the following March when he tore his ACL at the end of spring training. 

Hoskins had to settle for a relatively cheap two-year deal with the Brewers and now had to take an even cheaper deal with the Guardians. 

But that deal could end up being the Guardians’ blessing considering they got a chance to add a much-needed power bat to their lineup on one of cheapest deals a team can pay a veteran. 

The Guardians are going to have to think a bit outside the box to get Hoskins consistent playing time, but it’s hard to think of a way where this signing is a negative, and Hoskins’ comments reinforced that thinking.