Carlos

Santana

Santana ambushed a first-pitch cutter from Tyler Alexander and crushed it for a 418-foot (109.3 mph EV) two-run shot to center that gave the Guardians a 4-2 lead they would never relinquish. He has had a rough time at the plate in his third tour with the Guardians, slashing .230/.325/.362 with 11 long balls and 40 RBI.

The Guardians had a homer parade early against Shota Imanaga with Santana, David Fry, and Lane Thomas giving them an early 3-0 lead. Then, Tanner Bibee unraveled and they couldn’t fight back. Santana has been the same steady, boring contributor he’s always been so far this season with 10 home runs, four stolen bases, and a .708 OPS just past the halfway point of the season.

Santana singled off of Matthew Boyd with two outs in the opening inning but was left stranded there. He then smacked a leadoff double into left field in the fourth inning and came around to score the Guardians’ first run on an RBI knock by Nolan Jones. With his two-hit attack, the switch-hitting 39-year-old is now hitting an underwhelming .237/.332/.362 with nine long balls, 37 RBI and four stolen bases.

Santana had a terrific final two weeks of May, but that’s really the only thing keeping his stat line afloat. He’s come in at .169/.220/.260 with an unusually poor 20/5 K/BB ratio in 82 plate appearances this month. He had a 37/30 K/BB in 220 plate appearances over the first two months.

It was his eighth homer of 2025 and first slam since 2022. David Fry’s return has taken a big toll on Kyle Manzardo’s playing time, but it doesn’t seem like it’ll have much effect on Santana, who has started 61 of the Guardians 67 games. He’s batting .251/.350/.388 in 257 plate appearances.

Manzardo sits for the sixth time in the last eight games with lefty Andrew Abbott toeing the rubber for Cincinnati on Tuesday night at Progressive Field. It’ll once again be veteran Carlos Santana at the cold corner with David Fry occupying the DH spot.

Manzardo has started only two of the last seven games for Cleveland. The 24-year-old first baseman has been ice-cold at the plate in recent weeks, hitting .186 (19-for-102) with three homers and one steal over his last 30 games. The numbers have been even scarier over his last seven games as he’s just 3-for-20 during that span. It’ll be Carlos Santana at the cold corner and David Fry at DH on Monday night against Reds veteran lefty Wade Miley.

With David Fry back in the fold, he’s the one starting as the designated hitter against left-hander Max Fried on Thursday evening, which leaves only one spot for Manzardo and Carlos Santana. It’s Santana starting at first base and batting fifth for the Guardians with Manzardo getting a night off. On the season, he’s slashing a meager .211/.300/.443 with 11 homers and 29 RBI.

Santana is back at first base and batting fifth following a brief two-game absence due to left leg tightness. It doesn’t seem like a cause for concern moving forward. The 39-year-old veteran has six homers and 27 RBI across 49 games this season in his return to Cleveland.

Santana will sit out his second straight contest after being scratched from Sunday’s lineup for precautionary reasons with left leg tightness. It’ll be Kyle Manzardo at first base on Monday night in his absence.