Cleveland Guardians Urged To Make Tough Roster Decision With This Player

The Cleveland Guardians may need to reassess how much playing time they give this player.

Aug 22, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Cleveland Guardians outfielder Tyler Freeman (2) catches a fly ball for an out against the New York Yankees during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports / John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians managed to salvage one game in their four-game set with the Kansas City Royals, but overall, the series was a disaster.

The Guardians briefly lost their AL Central lead before regaining sole possession of first place on Wednesday, but now, Cleveland is clinging to a one-game edge over a streaking Royals club. The Minnesota Twins area also just three games back in the loss column.

As a result, the Guardians are being urged to make some changes, and one suggested alteration involves cutting the cord with outfielder Tyler Freeman.

Well, to an extent.

James Mastrucci of Away Back Gone is pressing Cleveland to give Freeman's innings to someone else, which essentially means sending the 25-year-old to the bench.

The Guardians have tried to make it work with Freeman. After all, he is a former top prospect, so they have given him a whole lot of leeway. But he may be running out of rope.

Freeman is slashing just .206/.304/.320 with seven home runs and 32 RBI this season, and his on-base percentage is actually a bit inflated due to the fact that he oddly leads the league with 19 hit-by-pitches. To make matters worse, Freeman is hitting .057 (no, that is not a typo) in August.

Freeman's numbers make Will Brennan look like Manny Ramirez by comparison, so it may be time to pull the plug and allow someone else to take his spot in the lineup.

Perhaps Angel Martinez will assume Freeman's role once September call ups occur. In that case, the Guardians would probably roll with Steven Kwan, Martinez and Jhonkensy Noel as their top three outfielders with Brennan coming off the bench.

No matter how Stephen Vogt decides to slice it, it's reaching a point where he can no longer justify using Freeman as an everyday player.