Daniel

Schneemann

It appears to be nothing more than a routine night off for the 24-year-old outfielder. Daniel Schneemann will start in his place in center field and will bat sixth for the Guardians against Rangers’ right-hander Kumar Rocker.

Daniel Schneeman will bat fifth and play center field in Hoskins’ absence, allowing a DH day for Chase DeLauter. We’d say this looks like a routine day off, but when you’re hitting .190/.338/.388 in 44 games lower on the defensive spectrum as a low-risk signing, your roster spot is obviously on shaky ground.

Schneemann started playing a lot more than expected after a fast start, but he’s just 8-for-59 with two doubles and a .396 OPS in 17 games this month. Overexposure seems like an issue here; Schneemann’s versatility definitely makes him worth a roster spot, but he strikes out too often to be starting against every right-hander the Guardians face.

According to The Athletic’s Zack Meisel, Kwan has been dropped from Cleveland’s leadoff spot for the first time since June 18, 2022. The 28-year-old outfielder has been scuffling this season as a massive decline in average exit velocity has led to a disastrous .201/.308/.258 slash line with one homer and two steals in 187 plate appearances through 42 games. He went 0-for-4 during Friday’s series opener. It’ll be Daniel Schneemann taking over atop manager Stephen Vogt’s lineup card. The hope for fantasy managers is that the move sparks something and Kwan is able to revert to form. His lengthy track record suggests that he’ll turn things around, but the underlying batted ball metrics are alarming so far.

Schneemann supplied Cleveland’s lone runs of the contest with a two-run shot off Rays starter Steven Matz in the fifth inning. It was his fourth long ball of the season. The 29-year-old stepped to the plate with a chance to deliver a walk-off hit with the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, but wound up striking out to end the contest.

This is now the second straight game that Hoskins has started on the bench. The veteran is hitting .214/.353/.357 with a 28 percent strikeout rate and just one home run. Hoskins still has an 11 percent barrel rate, but he’s not pulling the ball as often as before. Perhaps he just needs to warm up. Jose Ramirez will DH on Wednesday with Daniel Schneemann at third base and Juan Brito at second base.

Arias was lifted for a pinch-runner following a fifth-inning double where he appeared to suffer the injury. The 26-year-old infielder was 1-for-2 prior to exiting and was replaced by Daniel Schneemann at shortstop. There should be an update on his status prior to Tuesday’s game after he undergoes further evaluation and testing.

The 33-year-old slugger is expected to be a regular against left-handed pitching for the Guardians, but he’s in there against a right-hander as well on Opening night. If he’s able to stay healthy and regain his power stroke, he could wind up providing some mixed league viability. Here’s the full lineup that manager Stephen Vogt will use against Logan Gilbert and the M’s on Thursday: Steven Kwan (LF), Chase DeLauter (RF), Jose Ramirez (3B), Kyle Manzardo (DH), Bo Naylor (C), Rhys Hoskins (1B), Daniel Schneemann (CF), Gabriel Arias (SS) and Brayan Rocchio (2B).

The 29-year-old infielder had been set to start at shortstop. He’s having a solid spring at the dish, hitting .320 (8-for-25) with a pair of RBI and a stolen base. No word yet on the severity of the sprain and if it could potentially put Opening Day in jeopardy for him.

Schneemann came on to bat for Angel Martinez with two outs and two runners in scoring position in the seventh inning and the Guardians clinging to a one-run lead. After fouling off a pair of two-strike offerings from Kyle Finnegan, he lined a two-run single into left field that gave the Guardians a bit of breathing room. For the season, the versatile 28-year-old is now hitting .213/.289/.365 with 12 homers, 41 RBI and nine swipes in 409 plate appearances.