Juan

Brito

Brito, 24, had a rough time at the plate during Cactus League play, hitting just .154 (4-for-26) with a homer and six RBI. Stephan was always facing an uphill battle in a crowded bullpen mix for the Guardians, but he should get an opportunity at some point during the 2026 campaign.

Brito’s case was pretty obvious, but this is actually a second straight extra option year for Valera. He never used one in 2025, though, since the Guardians non-tendered him and then re-signed him to a minor league contract. He finally made his major league debut in September and performed well enough overall to keep himself in the Guardians’ plans for 2026. However, now there’s no pressure on the team to save room for him on the Opening Day roster. The Guardians will still have Nolan Jones, Jhonkensy Noel, Brayan Rocchio and Gilbert Arias as out-of-options players, which could make it more difficult for C.J. Kayfus, Angel Martínez and maybe Daniel Schneeman to make the team, depending on how the rest of the offseason goes.

The 23-year-old Brito, who has already missed eight weeks this season with a torn thumb ligament, is hitting .256/.357/.463 in 24 games for Columbus. There’s a good chance he’d be the Guardians’ second baseman right now if he could have remained healthy since the start of the season.

Brito picked up the thumb fracture while sliding into third base. The 23-year-old will miss the majority of the summer, but could return to the Triple-A lineup — with an outside chance of joining the Guardians — before the end of the 2025 campaign.

Brito lost the second base job to Gabriel Arias in the spring, but has gotten off to a good start in Triple-A, going 7-for-20 with one steal, three RBI, three strikeouts, and one walk. Gabriel Arias has also gotten off to a strong start for the Guardians, going 6-for-19 with one home run and two RBI in six games, so there is no change in the works.

Martinez will likely be one of — if not the — first players called up by the Guardians if they need a bench piece, but he’ll head to Columbus to get regular playing time. Rodriguez has a good chance of being an early call-up as well.

Freeman played center tonight, but it’s the starting job at second base that he’s competing for in Cleveland. He’s definitely helped his chances with a .313/.421/.656 line in 38 plate appearances. Fellow candidate Juan Brito hit his fourth homer tonight, but his .176/.222/.429 line pales in comparison to what Freeman is doing.

Britto victimized right-hander Deivi Garcia for a solo shot in the eighth inning that pulled the Guardians to within five runs at 7-2. The spike in power is the only thing that has kept Brito in the competition for the Guardians’ starting gig at second base, as he’s hitting a woeful .133 (4-for-30) with three home runs and five RBI in Cactus League play.

Brito is just 2-for-21 this spring, but at least both hits have been homers. The 23-year-old had 21 of those while batting .256/.265/.443 for Triple-A Columbus last season. He’s very much in the running to take over as the Guardians’ second baseman this season, though unlike most of the other candidates, he probably won’t be considered for a part-time gig if he’s not a starter.

It’s his first hit in nine at-bats. Brito came off the bench today, as the Guardians gave Tyler Freeman the start at second. It’d a wide-open battle for second base in Cleveland, with Brito, Freeman, Daniel Schneeman, Angel Martinez and Gabriel Arias all in the mix. 2024 first overall pick Travis Bazzana could also become a factor later in the season.