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Cleveland Guardians Add Angel Martínez to ALDS Roster as Injury Replacement

Tyler Freeman is dealing with a strained left oblique, meaning the Cleveland Guardians had to remove him from their ALDS roster in favor of rookie Angel Martínez.

Sam Connon

Sep 15, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Angel Martinez (1) advances to third during the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field.
Sep 15, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Angel Martinez (1) advances to third during the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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The Cleveland Guardians have added utility man Angel Martínez to their ALDS roster, the team announced Monday afternoon.

Martínez is coming in as an injury replacement for utility man Tyler Freeman, who is dealing with a strained left oblique. Freeman's final appearance of the regular season came on Sept. 13, and he did not appear in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.

In 118 games this season, Freeman hit .209 with seven home runs, 32 RBI, 11 stolen bases, a .626 OPS and 0.8 WAR. Most of Freeman's starts came in center field, but he also logged innings at shortstop, second base and third base.

Freeman is now ineligible to return during the ALDS, and he won't be able to be a part of Cleveland's ALCS roster either, should they make it that far. The only chance Freeman has at logging another appearance this October relies on the Guardians making the World Series.

Like Freeman, Martínez is a dynamic defensive player, but he doesn't have much experience in the infield at the big league level. In the minors, however, Martínez was a middle infielder and third baseman far more often than he was an outfielder.

The 22-year-old made his MLB debut on June 22 earlier this season. He went on to appear in 43 games for the Guardians, batting .232 with three home runs, 11 RBI, three stolen bases, a .635 OPS and a 0.1 WAR.

In 55 Triple-A games this year, Martínez hit .274 with seven home runs, 27 RBI, five stolen bases and an .812 OPS.

Game 2 of the ALDS between the Guardians and Tigers is scheduled to begin at 4:08 p.m. ET on Monday.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.

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