The Guardians need to add to their middle-infield depth at the trade deadline

In the bottom of the sixth inning inning of the Guardians' matchup against the Orioles on Thursday, Will Wilson stepped up to the plate for one of the most important at-bats of his short MLB career.

A batter earlier, Daniel Schneemann had worked a one-out walk against Charlie Morton to put the tying run on base against Orioles starter Charlie Morton.

But any momentum generated by Schneemann's at-bat quickly went away when Wilson went down in an 0-2 hole before chopping an easy grounder to third baseman Ramón Urías, who started an easy 5-4-3 inning ending double play.

It was another predictable at-bat from Wilson, who now boasts a .167/.250/.222 slashline in 32 games with the Guardians. And while his time on Cleveland's roster could come to an end soon due to Gabriel Arias' impending return, his presence on the roster is another reminder the Guardians could benefit from additional reinforcements in the middle-infield.

The Guardians need to add to their middle-infield depth at the trade deadline

Wilson is one of five players to make an appearance at a middle-infield position this year, though it's a bit of a eclectic group. It's obviously led by José Ramírez, who has made 84 starts at third base and is one of the best players in baseball.

Next up is Daniel Schneemann, who has made 60 appearances at second base but has also filled in at shortstop, third base and in the outfield. The same can be said for Arias, who opened the year as the team's main option at second base before shifting over to shortstop due to Brayan Rocchio's struggles.

Speaking of Rocchio, his 55 appearances lead the way at shortstop, and he's looked like a different player since being recalled from Triple-A after Arias suffered a serious ankle injury at the end of June.

And then there's Wilson, who has registered appearances at second base and third base and has primarily played against left-handed pitchers.

But, as mentioned above, his time on the roster could be coming to an end soon due to Arias' impending return.

He played in three games at Triple-A on his rehab assignment and was taking grounders pregame at Progressive Field on Thursday, which makes it seem like there's a chance he could be activated from the injured list prior to Friday's game.

While the Guardians' infield picture will be a bit better with him in the fold, it shouldn't stop them from making a move for another middle infield option, especially considering how rough their minor league landscape is.

Juan Brito is their top MLB-ready middle infield prospect but he suffered a hamstring injury at the beginning of the month that should keep him out for "week", per team president Chris Antonetti.

He was on track to earn an MLB-promotion earlier this year, but he suffered a thumb injury in April that kept him on the shelf for most of the summer. That, coupled with his newest injury, means we likely won't see him on the Guardians until 2026.

And, somehow, he's the only other infielder on the roster on the 40-man roster, which means that any addition to the infield dirt would result in a roster-shifting move.

Part of the reason for that roster crunch is the lack of MLB talent in Columbus. Milan Tolentino has been the most productive middle infielder not on the 40-man roster, but he's hitting just .224. Plus, adding him would bring about the end of someone else's time on the 40-man.

Which brings us to outside additions. While the Guardians likely won't make a landscape-shifting move for a player like Eugenio Suárez (nor should they), it would be worthwhile for them to inquire about some of the more unheralded options on the roster.

Ramón Urías has been playing serviceable middle infield for the Orioles, as his brother Luis for the Athletics. The same can be said for Pirates shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who boasts the kind of positional versatility the Guardians covet in middle infielders.

Not incredibly attractive options, but options nonetheless, and likely better than what Wilson could provide.

There's also the team control aspect, since Luis Urías and Kiner-Falefa will both be free agents after this year while Ramón Urías has one more year of arbitration left.

At the end of the day, it's not like the Guardians would be grabbing any of these three (or another player of their ilk) to be a staple of their lineup.

But it's clear this position is a hole on their roster, and it's one they need to fill.