CJ

Kayfus

Kayfus capped off a four-run uprising in the opening inning as he jumped on a first-pitch curveball from Sean Burke and belted a 429-foot (107.1 mph EV) two-run shot. That would be his only hit on the night but was more than enough offense for Tanner Bibee and company in this one. The 24-year-old outfielder is expected to crack the Guardians’ Opening Day roster in a reserve role.

It’s short for Collin Joseph, in case you were wondering. Kayfus will likely battle for playing time in right field and at DH this spring as he enters what he hopes is his first full big-league season.

Kayfus got the Guardians on the board with his two-out, RBI double off of Troy Melton in the second inning, pulling the Guardians to within two runs at 3-1. That would be as close as they would get. He also doubled off of Brant Hurter in the fourth inning but was left stranded there. With his two-hit night, the 23-year-old is now slashing .229/.298/.432 with four homers, 18 RBI and four stolen bases in 132 plate appearances.

The rookie homered in the second and flied out in the fifth before the Guardians had David Fry bat for him against a lefty in the seventh. Kayfus is 7-for-23 with two homers, four doubles and seven RBI during September. He might be a decent option in mixed leagues next week, as the Guardians will face five righties in six games (and maybe a sixth if Detroit’s Tarik Skubal winds up getting pushed back).

The Guardians had trailed the entire game since Vinnie Pasquantino belted a two-run homer in the first inning. They scratched out a run in the fourth inning, but that was it until the eighth. There, Bo Naylor led off the inning with a single off of John Schreiber and Kayfus followed with a 425-foot (106.6 mph EV) two-run blast that put the Guardians ahead to stay. The 23-year-old finished the memorable evening 1-for-3. He’s hitting just .200/.264/.355 with three homers, 13 RBI and three stolen bases in his first 106 plate appearances with the Guardians.

Kayfus was out of the lineup against right-handers on Friday and Sunday, as the Guardians are trying to make time for everyone right now. Kayfus, though, is arguably the most promising of all of the youngsters on Cleveland’s roster, and he needs to be in there fairly regularly. With tonight’s showing, he’s hitting .205/.276//386 in 99 plate appearances. One might wonder if the Guardians are trying to keep him under the rookie threshold of 130 at-bats, but he was called up too early to qualify as a rookie next year.

The outright waiver process is meant to be confidential, so there won’t be anything official from Cleveland for now. The 39-year-old veteran has ceded playing time to youngster Kyle Manzardo in recent weeks and the organization also has C.J. Kayfus on the big-league roster, who is capable of playing the cold corner. He’s had a down year offensively, but there might be a team out there willing to roll the dice as a bench bat for the postseason.

Kayfus takes a seat after making four consecutive starts in right field for Cleveland. The 23-year-old top prospect is hitting .220 (13-for-59) with two homers, eight RBI and two steals in 19 games since ascending to the big leagues. He’s flashed enough power/speed combo upside to be interesting for fantasy purposes, but he’s still getting acclimated to everyday life in the majors after opening the year in Double-A.

Kayfus took Zac Gallen deep to give the Guardians a 1-0 lead. The 23-year-old rookie picked up his second homer of his career, and that homer along with a single has him slashing .239/.300/.435 over 46 at-bats. Not too bad, all things considered.

C.J. Kayfus sits as a result. Santana last homered on July 11 and has hit .215/.278/.246 during the second half. The Guardians might think it makes some sense to keep him involved while they’re still in contention, but the 39-year-old hasn’t aided the cause lately. Still, Santana, the league’s second oldest position player behind Justin Turner, has bounced back every other time he’s been written off in recent years after a slump.