This Guardians prospect sure seems like their next callup

While we’re more than two months into the 2025 MLB season, the Cleveland Guardians offense is still a work in progress. 

While they have some positions settled like left field (Steven Kwan), third base (José Ramírez) first base (Carlos Santana and Kyle Manzardo) and catcher (Bo Naylor and Austin Hedges), the rest of the lineup is still a bit up in the air. 

As a part of that, it seems like there’s a chance the Guardians could look to fill one of those holes with a prospect — and that prospect should be C.J. Kayfus.

Could C.J. Kayfus be the Guardians’ next callup?

Kayfus, who is ranked as the Guardians’ No. 5 prospect by MLB Pipeline, went undrafted out of high school and ended up spending three years at the University of Miami, where he hit .350 in 162 games before being drafted by the Guardians in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft. 

Kayfus split 2024 between High-A and Double-A, and opened this season at Double-A before being promoted to Triple-A last month. He’s slashing .316/.388/.544 in 30 games at Triple-A to go along with five home runs and 16 RBI. 

In other words, it’s time for Kayfus to get his MLB shot with the Guardians. He’s already on the 40-man roster so the Guardians wouldn’t need to do a ton of maneuvering to get him on their roster. 

And it’s not hard to imagine how he could help the Guardians’ lineup. They’ve had a black hole in right field, and could always benefit from adding more power to the lineup. 

A Kayfus promotion would also allow for the Guardians to add some fresh blood to their lineup without rushing top outfield prospect Chase DeLauter.

DeLauter opened the year ranked near the top of most prospect lists, but he’s yet to prove that he can stay healthy. 

DeLauter got off to a late start this season after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia, and recently got to Triple-A Columbus after going on a rehab assignment in Arizona. 

He’s hit .179 in eight games since getting to Columbus, so the Guardians will likely want to wait for him to get some more time at Triple-A before getting a promotion. 

He also needs to prove that he can stay healthy — the last thing the Guardians need is for him to get hurt right after getting promoted. 

While Kayfus hasn’t played a ton of right field in the minors, he’s already shown that he’s willing to learn the outfield and the Guardians have shown that’s a position they’re willing to sacrifice defense for offense; Cleveland right fielders have had the fifth-worst fielding percentage (.981) since the start of the 2023 season.

Kayfus has worked hard over the past two years to turn himself into a bonafide MLB prospect. It’s time for him to get a chance to prove himself in the big leagues.