Bo

Naylor

Heyman adds that Hedges will receive $500,000 in performance-based incentives. The 33-year-old backstop will return for his sixth season in Cleveland. He’s been a complete non-factor at the plate, but he’s remains a sublime defender from a pitch-framing perspective. He’ll serve as Bo Naylor’s primary caddy next season.

Naylor put the game to bed with a three-run shot that extended the lead from 3-1 to 6-1. The 25-year-old did almost nothing in the regular season at the plate, but he’s helped Cleveland get to within a game of the ALDS against Seattle.

Naylor has hit in eight straight games, which is pretty remarkable for a guy who was batting .175 through 109 games this season. His previous long hitting streak this season was three games, and he did that just twice. The streak has raised his average 20 points and given him a more adequate .195/.286/.382 season line. He also overtook his previous high of 13 homers from last year with Nos. 13 and 14 today.

Naylor had a pair of two-run hits; a two-run single in the first, and a single in the eighth that scored two more. The 25-year-old has done a solid job behind the plate for Cleveland and occasionally reminds why he was considered a top prospect with the bat, but even with the strong night he’s slashing an ugly .191/.281/.362.

Naylor delivered a valuable insurance run with an RBI double off of Casey Mize in the sixth inning that extended the Guardians’ lead to 3-1. The 25-year-old backstop has had a miserable season overall at the plate, slashing a dreadful .187/.280/.363 with 12 homers and 36 RBI across 381 plate appearances.

Naylor also walked. He drove in his first two runs in the fourth before breaking the tie with his solo shot off Brandon Eisert in the seventh. It was a little surprising that he was in the game at that point — the Guardians pinch-hit for him in a similar situation in the seventh inning Saturday — but the double might have made a difference. It was Naylor’s second homer off a left-hander this season. He’s 5-for-8 in his last three games, raising his average to .187. That’s his highest mark since June 13. He last saw the Mendoza Line on May 24.

Naylor smacked a two-out double off of Stephen Kolek in the fifth inning but the Guardians were unable to cash him in. He then led off the eighth inning with a single off of John Schreiber and rode home on a go-ahead two-run blast by C.J. Kayfus. With his two-hit night, the 25-year-old backstop is now slashing .181/.274/.346 with 11 homers, 32 RBI, one stolen base and a 92/42 K/BB ratio over 371 plate appearances in what has been an especially brutal season at the dish.

Naylor came off the bench to put Cleveland on the board with a pinch-hit, seventh-inning blast against Rockies reliever Jake Bird. It was his 11th big fly of the season.

It’s Naylor’s fifth straight hitless game, and he doesn’t have an RBI since June 21. He’s hitting just .166/.268/.341 overall, and while that’s still a whole lot better than Austin Hedges’ meager .114/.210/.227 line, it’s not really enough to justify his continued presence in the lineup when Hedges is still so outstanding defensively.

Naylor also homered as part of a three-hit game on Sunday, so he’s raised his average from .171 to .196 the last two days. That’s still far from great, obviously, but since he has nine homers and 26 walks in 182 plate appearances, he’s been just about a league-average hitter.