Guardians Promote No. 3 Prospect, Activate Veteran Pitcher As Part Of September Call-Ups

The Cleveland Guardians add Kyle Manzardo and Alex Cobb to their major league roster.

May 18, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Kyle Manzardo (9) bats in the fourth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians and the rest of MLB are getting a little flexibility as the major league rosters expand from 26 players to 28. Here's who the Guardians added to their big league team on Sunday morning.

Kyle Manzardo

The Guardians are promoting their third-overall prospect, Kyle Manzardo, to rejoin their major league roster.

Manzardo spent a month with the big league team back in May, but left a lot to be desired at the plate. He had a slash line of .207/.241/.329 including ten doubles in the 30 games he played in.

Manzardo has played much better in the minors, hitting .267/.398/.548 with an OPS of .946. However, there are some serious concerns about his ability to hit offspeed and breaking pitches.

Manzardo was only a designated hitter in May, but he could be looking at a bigger role with the major league team this time around, especially with Josh Naylor recently suffering an ankle injury.

Manzardo will hit sixth in the lineup and is the DH on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

May 28, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Kyle Manzardo (9) celebrates his scoring a run in the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Cobb

Cleveland is also activating veteran starting pitcher Alex Cobb off the injured list as their second move as a part of exapanded rosters.

Cobb missed his last two starts due to a broken fingernail. He's only made two starts since being acquired by the Guardians at the trade deadline. In those appearances, he has a 4.35 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in the 10.1 innings he's thrown this season.

Fans may have wanted to see a fresh bullpen arm like Andrew Walters, but it makes sense that Cobb is the initial pitcher added with expanded rosters. Cleveland needed a starting pitcher for Sunday, and Cobb was ready to retake the mound after his injury.