The Cleveland Guardians placed American League batting leader Steven Kwan on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain and selected the contract of top prospect Kyle Manzardo among multiple moves Monday.
The Guardians also activated left-hander Sam Hentges from the 15-day IL and optioned right-hander Peter Strzelecki to Triple-A Columbus.
Cleveland expects to be without Kwan for about for weeks. The leadoff batter was injured while making a play in the outfield Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels and left that game after three innings.
He entered Monday leading the AL with a .353 batting average, ranking second with 47 hits and first in the major leagues with 74 consecutive plate appearances without striking out.
“Any time without (Kwan) at the top of our order, it’s not good,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Monday. “But sounds like it shouldn’t hinder him too long. Just got to make sure that he’s back to a hundred percent before we get him back out there.”
Kwan, 26, also had three homers and 11 RBIs in 32 games. His move to the injured list is retroactive to Sunday.
“I know he’s going to be smart,” Vogt said. “We have a great medical staff. They’re going to make sure he’s dialed in and ready to go. You can’t replace somebody like that, but hopefully he’s back soon.”
Manzardo, 23, is a first baseman ranked as the Guardians’ No. 2 prospect and No. 52 overall by MLB Pipeline. Selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Washington State, Manzardo was sent to the Guardians in a trade last summer involving pitcher Aaron Civale.
Manzardo was slated to be in the lineup Monday as Cleveland’s designated hitter against the Detroit Tigers. He was hitting .303 with a .375 on-base percentage, .642 slugging percentage, nine homers and 20 RBIs in 109 at-bats over 29 games at Columbus.
Hentges, 27, was 1-0 with no runs allowed, two hits, three walks and seven strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings over six games (three starts) between Columbus and Double-A Akron. He had been on the injured list since March with swelling in his left middle finger.
Strzelecki, 29, appeared in four innings over three games without allowing a run for Cleveland this season.
–Field Level Media