Cleveland Guardians' Steven Kwan Lands on Injured List With Back Discomfort

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan missed four starts in a row before officially getting shelved, just as the All-Star's bat was coming back to life.

Sep 11, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan (38) scores against the Chicago White Sox during the third inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians have placed All-Star outfielder Steven Kwan on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Sept. 14, the team announced Tuesday evening.

Kwan, who last played since Sept. 12, had been dealing with mid-back inflammation and was not included in the Guardians' starting lineup for Tuesday's matchup with the Minnesota Twins. Angel Martínez was pegged as Cleveland's starting left fielder and leadoff man in Kwan's place.

As for the rest of the roster, outfielder Myles Straw had his contract selected from Triple-A Columbus. The Guardians made room for Straw on their 40-man roster by designating right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco for assignment.

We have made the following moves today.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/u7dvKj8DSq

— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) September 17, 2024

In the four games leading up to Kwan's absence, he was batting .385 with a .954 OPS. That was a significant rebound from how he had been performing before that, as he hit .132 with a .394 OPS between Aug. 13 and Sept. 7.

Kwan was batting .326 with an .871 OPS on the season prior to that cold streak. Now, his batting average sits at .291 while his OPS has dropped to .783.

The Guardians have been missing more than Kwan's bat, though, considering he won Gold Gloves in both 2022 and 2023. Kwan is sitting at nine defensive runs saved through 112 games in 2024, demonstrating his status as a more-than-above-average defender.

Since finishing third in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, Kwan has racked up 24 home runs, 149 RBI, 52 stolen bases and a 12.6 WAR.

The Guardians have retained their standing atop the AL Central without Kwan, boasting a 5.0-game lead over the Kansas City Royals with 11 games remaining. If they can hold strong down the stretch, it will mark the Guardians' second division title in three years and their first under rookie manager Stephen Vogt.

Kwan will be eligible to return Sept. 24 against the Cincinnati Reds, at which point there will be five games left before the postseason.

Here is the full lineup the Guardians are trotting out with Kwan now set to miss additional time:

1. Angel Martínez, LF
2. Andrés Giménez , 2B
3. Jose Ramirez, 3B
4. Josh Naylor, 1B
5. Lance Thomas, CF
6. Kyle Manzardo, DH
7. Will Brennan, RF
8. Bo Naylor, C
9. Brayan Rocchio, SS
SP: Gavin Williams, RHP

First pitch from Progressive Field is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET.

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