Guardians Manager Reveals What Postseason Off Days Will Look Like

Stephen Vogt says the Cleveland Guardians plan to play "a lot of sim games" during their playoff bye.

Sep 3, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez (0) fields grounders against the Kansas City Royals during warm ups prior to a game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians won't play another major league game until next Saturday as they were awarded a bye in the Wild Card round of the postseason for having the second-best record in the American League.

Even for the players on the roster who have playoff experience, this much time off between series is abnormal and new for them.

How exactly will the team balance getting the rest it needs to have an advantage over its opponent while also staying ready?

Stephen Vogt did his best to outline what the next five days will look like for the Guardians as they prepare to take on either the Detroit Tigers or Houston Astros in the ALDS.

"We're going to take [Monday]. Tomorrow, we're going to give the guys a day off. They've more than earned that, and then Tuesday through Friday, we'll be getting after it," said Vogt.

"We'll play sim games; we're going to be doing the basics. We're going to put them through workouts while also being mindful of the workload to try to get them the recovery that they've earned with this bye. So, we have a good plan in place. We're going to be doing a lot of sim games, like I said, and a lot of work."

Jul 10, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) walks back to the dugout during the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Vogt has no experience going through a playoff bye as a player, and it's obviously his first time doing it as a manager, too. However, he seems to have the right idea with Cleveland's off-day schedule.

There's no way you can just completely take the days off of all baseball activities. But you also don't want to work too hard where you're not getting the proper rest leading up to the series.

As Vogt said, playing simulated games is the best way for the team to remain active without overworking themselves.