Cleveland Baseball Insider

Guardians Make Roster Moves, Gonzalez Set For MLB Debut

The Cleveland Guardians made a series of roster updates on Thursday afternoon.

Adrienne Goehler

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Following the loss in Houston Wednesday night, the Guardians' organization announced a series of roster moves in time for Thursday's game in Detroit. Most notably, a new face has been selected from Triple-A and will be making his MLB debut tonight.

Roster Moves

Oscar Gonzalez

Oscar Gonzalez has had his contract selected and will be making his MLB debut tonight in Detroit. The 24-year-old outfielder will be batting sixth and playing in right field.

For the Clippers, the outfielder was batting .282 (49-for-174) with eight doubles, two triples, nine home runs, and 33 RBI in 41 games. With a slash line of .308/.506/.814, 36 of his starts came in right field while the other five were as designated hitter.

Gonzalez comes ready to hit. He leads Cleveland's lower-level systems in hits, total bases, and extra base hits with 19 on the year. He is also second in RBI and home runs.

Hitting isn't new for Gonzalez as he also led the system in 2021 with 140 hits, 31 home runs, 83 RBI, and had an OPS of .871. Between Akron and Columbus, he batted a combined .293 (140-for-478) on the year.

Back With The Club

Both Richie Palacios and Konnor Pilkington have been recalled from Columbus to rejoin the major league club. Pilkington is set to be tonight's starter in Detroit with the news of Aaron Civale being placed on the Injured List yesterday.

This will be Pilkington's second major league start since his May 8 outing against the Blue Jays. On the year, Pilkington holds a 0-0 record with a 2.08 ERA in four games and one start.

He's pitched 8.2 innings, allowing five hits, two runs, four walks, and has 11 strikeouts at the major league level. In Columbus, he's posted a 5.02 ERA in four starts through 14.1 innings, giving up 18 hits and eight runs.

Palacios, while not in tonight's lineup, is back for the Guardians once again. During his first two stretches he went 10-for-37 with a .270 average. 

During the rest of his time while in Columbus, he's batted .259 going 21-for-81, and 9-for-29 with a .310 average over the last seven games.

See Yu Later

With these moves, it has also been announced that Yu Chang has been designed for assignment. Chang made his debut with Cleveland in 2019 and has a career .208/.256/.372 slash line with an .637 OPS for the Guardians. 

Chang had only played in three games this season before going to the COVID IL, and then just one more after rehab assignment on May 20 against Detroit. In 10 plate appearances on the year, he struck out seven times.

As a utility man, Chang's reps had been sporadic and inconsistent. This move could allow the 26-year old infielder a chance at more consistent playing time if selected off waivers by another organization. 

To The Injured List

Lastly, Franmil Reyes has been placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to May 25, with right hamstring tightness. Reyes is slashing .195/.255/.278 with an .533 OPS on the season with the Guardians.

The 26-year-old has 26 hits, two doubles, and three home runs on the year. In 145 plate appearances, he has walked 10 times and struck out 57 times.

Four In Detroit

The Guardians begin a four-game series on Thursday night in Detroit with Pilkington on the mound. The club, now 18-22, currently sits third in the AL Central, and 7.0 games back.

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Adrienne Goehler
ADRIENNE GOEHLER

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