Surging Guardians prospect just homered off a future Hall of Famer in ridiculous week

CJ Kayfus has had quite a year in Triple-A Columbus. He earned a spot in MLB Pipeline’s Top-100 prospects list and a long-awaited promotion to Triple-A Columbus. 

And while he hasn’t made his MLB debut just yet, he earned a new accolade earlier this week when he homered off future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer when Columbus faced off against Buffalo last week.

Which then leads to a natural question: When will Kayfus get a chance to do that against MLB pitching at Progressive Field. 

Surging Guardians prospect just homered off a future Hall of Famer in ridiculous week

In 40 games with Columbus, Kayfus is slashing .318/.386/.583 with seven home runs and 22 RBI to go along with 11 doubles and four triples. He’s tied for second on the team in home runs and is fourth in home runs. 

He has the same number of home runs as Johnathan Rodríguez and the same number of RBI as Will Wilson, both of whom have earned an MLB callup this year. 

But it remains to be seen how the Guardians will be able to get Kayfus on the roster. He’s primarily a first baseman, but Cleveland currently has Kyle Manzardo and Carlos Santana occupying first base. While Manzardo’s usage has been a bit confusing this year, he and Santana have still combined for a 103 wRC+, which is one of the better positional marks on the team. 

Although Manzardo has three option years left, it’s hard to imagine the Guardians would send him down to Triple-A eight months after trading away Josh Naylor. And while Santana’s fourth on the team in bWAR, Kayfus’ strong season does make Santana’s presence on the roster feel a bit more confusing.  

He can also play corner outfield in a pinch, but Nolan Jones is in the midst of a hot streak and Rodríguez has played better since being called up earlier this month. Kayfus also isn’t on the 40-man roster, but the Guardians can easily rectify that situation by moving Will Brennan to the 60-day injured list. 

And the team’s designated hitter spot is occupied by David Fry, who can only play DH due to offseason surgery. The Guardians roster isn’t as malleable as it has been in years prior, and Kayfus is suffering because of it.  

While Cleveland picked up some big hits in Tuesday’s win, they still need a lineup with some more punch, which is where Kayfus could come in. He enters play on Wednesday in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak, and has now slugged 31 extra-base hits on the season. 

He’s quickly approaching “nothing left to prove in Triple-A territory.” But, unless the Guardians make some kind of move to open up a roster spot, he seems destined to finish the season in Columbus.