Travis Bazzana gets step closer to Guardians’ roster with spring training assignment

It may not seem like it given the fact that we've had single-digit temperatures in Northeast Ohio for the better part of the past month, but the start of the Guardians’ spring training is almost here. 

We got another reminder of that earlier today when the Guardians unveiled their list of all the non-roster invitees they’re going to have in big league camp this spring.

While it’s an intriguing list that features a good mix of veteran players and rookies looking to make a good first impression, the headliner of the list was infielder Travis Bazzana, who is about to embark on a crucial spring training as he looks to make his MLB debut in 2026. 

The full list of Guardians’ non-roster invitees is as follows: 

Pitchers: RHP Pedro Avila, RHP Tanner Burns, RHP Aaron Davenport, RHP Trenton Denholm, LHP Will Dion, RHP Carlos Hernández, RHP Codi Heuer, RHP Jack Leftwich, RHP Tommy Mace, RHP Jake Miller, LHP Steven Pérez, RHP Trevor Stephan, LHP Ryan Webb 

Catchers: Cameron Barstad, Jacob Cozart, Kody Huff, Cooper Ingle, Dom Nunez

Infielders: Travis Bazzana, Dayan Frias, Carter Kieboom, Milan Tolentino, Ralphy Velazquez

Outfielders: Wuilfredo Antunez, Stuart Fairchild, Alfonsin Rosario

Travis Bazzana headlines list of non-roster invitees at Guardians spring training 

As mentioned above, this is a crucial spring training for Bazzana for a variety of reasons considering he’s a step away from making his big league debut but is also going to spend part of the spring playing for Australia in the World Baseball Classic. 

While the WBC isn’t as big of an undertaking for position players as it is for pitchers, he’s going to need to do everything he can to make a good impression with Guardians’ brass before shipping off to play with his country in the middle of the spring. 

Bazzana isn't on the Guardians' 40-man roster, so the front office would need to make some kind of roster-shifting move to add him to the big league squad.

The rest of the infielder picture also offers some interesting players to watch. Velazquez slugged 23 home runs in the minors across High-A and Double-A, which was the most in the Guardians’ system. He likely won’t factor into the big league picture in 2026, but a strong spring could help him get a head start à la Chase DeLauter in 2024. 

Kieboom has seen big league action in five seasons across his time with the Nationals and Angels and will likely be the first man called up if there’s any kind of injury in the Guardians’ infield. 

The outfield picture features two rising prospects in Antunez and Rosario along with Fairchild, who was brought in on a minor league deal.

The Guardians have a clear hole in their outfield, so all three of them should get plenty of chances to show what they can do during the spring. 

The most interesting pitcher in the fold comes in the form of Stephan, who is in an incredibly unique situation. 

While Stephan signed a four-year, $10 million extension with the Guardians prior to the 2023 season, he underwent Tommy John surgery before the 2024 season and hasn’t seen a big league mound since. 

The Guardians outrighted him off their roster last year but are still on the hook for his $3.5 million salary in 2026, so it makes sense that they’re giving him every chance to try to earn back a spot in the big league bullpen.