Johnathan

Rodríguez

Rodriguez, 25, was designated for assignment on Wednesday. He has enough power that he would be intriguing for fantasy purposes if he ever found himself in an everyday role, though he has failed to make consistent enough contact thus far to earn that opportunity.

The Guardians needed a spot on the 40-man roster for Rhys Hoskins, so Rodríguez was waived to make room. The 26-year-old has plus power but struggles to make enough contact to make use of that.

Rodríguez, 26, wound up playing a role during the Guardians’ magical stretch run in 2025 as a masher against left-handed pitching. He faced a crowded outfield mix this spring and wound up on the outside looking in. He should get an opportunity at some point during the first half of the 2026 campaign.

The Guardians will be going with their typical lineup against left-handed pitching, which means Rodríguez will start in right field, with Jhonkensy Noel starting at first base, Austin Hedges catching, and Angel Martinez in center field. Rodríguez is slashing .240/.309/.460 against lefties this season with two home runs in 55 plate appearances, so his presence doesn’t move the needle a huge amount.

With the East and Central champs are still to be determined, the AL postseason field is set, as the Astros have been eliminated. Tonight’s contest was tied at 2-2 for much of the game. Rodriguez walked with two outs against Robert Garcia to start the ninth-inning rally. Kyle Manzardo singled, Gabriel Arias was intentionally walked and C.J. Kayfus was hit by a pitch to end it. Incredibly, Garcia had never hit a batter in 155 2/3 major league innings before getting Kayfus in the arm. It was also the first game-ending HBP in MLB this year.

Rodriguez will be a bench bat for the final week of the 2025 season as a replacement for David Fry, who was placed on the 10-day IL with facial fratures.

Rodríguez is heading back to the minors with top prospect C.J. Kayfus getting the call to the big leagues. The 25-year-old rookie has batted .167 (11-for-66) with one homer and six RBI over 28 games this season at the highest level.

Thomas will get some extra time off to rest and recover after making an early exit from Friday’s game with mild plantar fascia symptoms. The 29-year-old outfielder is presumably day-to-day heading into Sunday’s series finale. It’ll be Nolan Jones shifting over to cover center field with rookie Johnathan Rodríguez entering the lineup in right field.

Rodríguez was up briefly earlier this season when he got into four games for Cleveland. He returns to the big leagues to take Jhonkensy Noel’s spot on the bench after posting a .902 OPS with seven homers over 46 games this season at the Triple-A level.

Rodriguez is now hitting .360/.442/.547 in 75 at-bats with three home runs, 21 strikeouts, and 11 walks in Triple-A. With Jhonkensy Noel hitting .164/.186/.269 with a 30 percent strikeout rate at the big league level, it’s possible the Guardians could make a swap.