Estevan

Florial

Florial was once considered one of the top prospects in baseball, but he’s become just organizational fodder over the past few years. The 27-year-old will have a chance to reestablish his stock with a strong season in the KBO.

Florial was designated for assignment last week. He hit .173 with three home runs for the Guardians earlier this season. No longer part of Cleveland’s 40-man roster, Florial will continue to serve as outfield depth.

Florial hit .173 with three home runs in 36 games for the Guardians. He’s no longer part of the club’s 40-man roster and the club has seven days to trade Florial or place him on waivers.

Kwan left Saturday with hamstring tightness, and it’s not surprising to see him out of the lineup for the series finale. With the 26-year-old out of action, the Guardians will have Will Brennan play in left field, which Estevan Florial will act as designated hitter and hit in Kwan’s leadoff spot. For now, he should be considered day-to-day.

The 26-year-old belted a 360-foot solo shot in the fifth inning to get the Guardians on the board, but it wouldn’t be nearly enough. Florial also drew a walk in the ballgame, finishing the night 1-for-3. He’s off to a brutal start to the 2024 season, hitting just .150/.292/.400 with one homer and one RBI in his limited action.

It appears to be just a regular day of rest for the dynamic 24-year-old who has become the Guardians’ regular center fielder. Ramon Laureano will slide over to cover center field on Wednesday while Estevan Florial will get a rare start at designated hitter and will bat eighth against right-hander Erick Fedde.

Myles Straw, who has already reportedly been placed on waivers, and Deyvison De Los Santos did not. The biggest surprise here is Smith, who lands the final spot in Cleveland’s bullpen, barring an unexpected late addition.

It was one of two walks for Florial, doubling his spring total. The 26-year-old Florial got two pieces of great news today. The bigger was that he had made the Guardians (even as he came into the day 6-for-40 with 19 strikeouts), but also pretty relevant is that Myles Straw didn’t. That leaves Florial as easily the Guardians’ best defensive option in center field, with Will Brennan and Tyler Freeman also possibilities there. We don’t have much faith in Florial’s bat, but if he ever does start producing more contact, his power and speed would make him intriguing. He’s just an AL-only option at the moment.

Carrasco and Beede make the season-opening rosters as NRI’s, which means they’ll need to be added to Cleveland’s active roster at some point in the next few days. No real shockers here, which leaves the final roster spot for Will Brennan, Deyvison De Los Santos or Estevan Florial.

This is the best and maybe only real chance Florial is going to get to establish himself, but the longtime Yankees prospect is off to an awful start, having hit .150 with a 19/2 K/BB in 43 plate appearances. The Guardians liked him enough to trade for him in December, but he shouldn’t be a lock for the roster at this point, even if he is out of options.