Gabriel

Arias

Arias left Monday’s game with the injury and was put on the injured list on Tuesday. The Guardians updated his timeline on Wednesday after further evaluation, and it will be a long absence for the 26-year-old. Juan Brito will continue to start in the middle infield in Arias’ place.

It’s unfortunate timing for Arias, who was 3-for-6 with a double and two RBI in the two games right before getting hurt on Monday night. There is no set timeline for his return, but soft tissue injuries can take a few weeks to heal, so the Guardians will hope to get him back at some point before the end of the month.

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).

His two hits left the bat at 113 and 109 mph. The Guardians still haven’t used Arias anywhere other than short this spring, even though they indicated months ago that the plan was to treat him as more of a utilityman. It’s good news for his chances of lasting as a regular that he’s ahead of Brayan Rocchio on the depth chart defensively. Rocchio is seemingly going to start at second base initially, but one imagines Travis Bazzana will get a chance there sometime this summer. Arias still seems like a poor bet offensively and should lack value outside of deep AL-only leagues.

The double was a fly to right that Nelson Rada misplayed due to some combination of the sun and wind. Arias will take it, though. He’s now 4-for-12 this spring. Interestingly, all of his starts have come at shortstop so far. Manager Stephen Vogt said back in December that Brayan Rocchio would return to shortstop this year and Arias would be treated more of a utilityman, but so far, it’s Rocchio splitting time between second and short.

Arias is batting .278/.361/.492 in 144 plate appearances. It was recently put out there that the Guardians intend to move Brayan Rocchio back to short next season. Arias started at that spot after Rocchio was sent down last summer and kept it for the rest of the season, with Rocchio finishing up at second base. Arias, though, didn’t excel in hitting .220/.274/.363 in 471 plate appearances. He’s out of options, so he should be guaranteed a roster spot. However, he’s probably looking at a reduced role as a utilityman.

That’s probably the right plan. Rocchio played second, with Arias at short, after returning from the minors last July. Arias, though, just hasn’t looked like a big-league regular, and while Rocchio still has much to prove, too, he’s the more intriguing player at this point. The news suggests the Guardians could aim for a stopgap in second while waiting on 2024 first overall pick Travis Bazzana. Or perhaps Bazzana could have a shot of winning the job in spring training, even if his participation for Team Australia in the WBC probably won’t help there.

Arias ambushed a first-pitch fastball from Tigers’ right-hander Casey Mize in the fourth inning, crushing a go-ahead, 412-foot (110.0 mph EV) solo shot that gave the Guardians a 2-1 lead. He also smacked an RBI single during the Guardians’ four-run rally in the 10th inning. The 25-year-old infielder finished the night 2-for-5 and is now hitting .225/.280/.370 with 11 homers, 50 RBI and seven stolen bases over 424 plate appearances on the season.

Arias ended up missing half a week while dealing with inflammation in his right wrist. He’ll get the start against Martín Pérez and the Chicago bullpen as Cleveland looks to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.