The Guardians’ outfield picture just became murkier after Angel Martínez’s injury 

Things went from bad to worse for the Guardians on Saturday evening when Guardians manager Stephen Vogt announced that outfielder Angel Martínez is going to undergo an MRI after leaving Cleveland’s 9-1 loss to the Red Sox with foot inflammation. 

While it seems like a lock that Martínez won’t be in the lineup later today when Cleveland takes the field for its series finale against Boston, any long-term injury from him would add even more uncertainty to the Guardians’ already uncertain outfield. 

Angel Martínez's injury adds some uncertainty to Guardians' lineup

Martínez left Cleveland’s game after two ugly at-bats where he struck out on uncompetitive swings and was replaced by Stuart Fairchild, who was making his Guardians’ debut. 

Fairchild’s inclusion on the roster is a tangible example of how much Cleveland’s outfield is in flux given he spent all of the year at Triple-A before being recalled earlier this weekend when Steven Kwan was placed on the bereavement list. 

Even if Kwan is going to be back soon (you can only be on the bereavement list for a week), there’s still some things that need to be settled. 

The Guardians needed to add Fairchild to their 40-man roster to call him up, so he can now fit into the roster in a way that he wasn’t able to previously. 

Prior to Martínez’s injury, it seemed like there was a good chance they could keep Fairchild (who is out of options) on the fourth outfielder and send Petey Halpin down to the minors. 

Not only would they both stay on the roster if Martínez is forced to miss any time, but they’d become even more important. 

While neither of them would become everyday starting options (the Guardians would likely roll out a stellar starting outfield of Kwan in left, Daniel Schnemann in center and Chase DeLauter in right field), they both would get some work as late-game defensive replacements and platoon options. 

The left-handed hitting Halpin is a glove first option (though he racked up two hits against Boston on Saturday), while Fairchild has also been worth nine Outs Above Average in his career and has hit .246 against left-handers in his career. 

There’s also the Martínez part of all this. While he’s cooled off a bit over the past couple weeks, he’s still in the midst of a strong breakout season and has slugged a team-leading nine home runs. He’s also blossomed to a great corner outfielder as evidenced by his highlight reel outfield assist against the Red Sox on Friday. 

This could all end up becoming a moot point if Martínez’s injury ends up not being serious, but it seems like there’s also a chance it could end up changing the tenor of the Guardians’ roster.  

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