The Cleveland Guardians may be MLB’s biggest surprise team for plenty of reasons. Their first-place standing in the American League Central has been rooted in its offense. Unlike teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies or Baltimore Orioles, the Guardians lineup has no stars that are usually on the best offenses in baseball. Third baseman José Ramírez is the constant force in the middle of Cleveland’s lineup. But now, a former Rookie of the Year finalist will be returning to the lineup soon.
Steven Kwan Transferred to Triple-A Columbus
Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports that Steven Kwan (hamstring) will have his rehab assignment transferred to Triple-A Columbus beginning Tuesday. Kwan went 1-for-5 with a three-run homer run and a walk over two games with High-A Lake County over the weekend. It’s expected that Kwan will play six to eight innings in left field on Tuesday. He may stay with Columbus for the remainder of the Guardians’ road trip. That will make it possible for Kwan to be ready to return to the majors by Friday.
Steven Kwan will start in left field for Columbus tomorrow and play 6-8 innings, according to Vogt.
Gavin Williams is expected to start for Columbus on Wednesday.
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) May 27, 2024
Kwan felt tightness in his left hamstring and departed after the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels on May 4. Kwan was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain on May 5. At the time of his injury, Kwan was leading the AL with a 3.53 batting average and 47 hits. He has gone 74 straight plate appearances before his last strikeout. The California native is a two-time AL Gold Glove Award winner and finished third in the 2022 AL Rookie of the Year voting.
Kwan’s Injury Came When He’s Been His Best
What Kwan is doing at the plate and in the outfield is incredible. His on-base percentage ranks third, he’s fourth in fWAR (1.9), seventh in wRC+ (164) and 13th in slugging percentage. What’s even more interesting is how he rarely hits the ball hard. His 84.4 mph average exit velocity is the lowest mark of his three-year career. Kwan’s exit velocity ranks in just the fourth percentile. His hard-hit rate, which is another career low, ranks in the first percentile.
The other thing is his defense. In 2022 and 2023, Kwan led all left fielders in both Defensive Runs Saved (21 runs in 2022, 16 in 2023). Statcast’s Fielding Run Value (8 in 2022, 7 in 2023) is worthy of nothing.
Main Photo: © Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
