Josh Naylor To Start Rehab Assignment For Guardians

Cleveland Guardians' Josh Naylor to start a rehab assignment with the Akron RubberDucks.

© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians' offense has not looked the same since Josh Naylor went on the injured list at the beginning of August with an oblique injury. The first baseman was having a breakout season and doing his best to keep the Guardians in the playoff hunt for most of the season.

However, Cleveland has dropped to 6.0 games behind the Minnesota Twins since Naylor left the lineup leaving many holes opposing pitchers have exposed. The Guardians have a team batting average of .226 and an OPS of .641 in August which are both the lowest in a months span during the season.

The good news is that the Guardians may be getting back their most feared hitter sooner rather than later. On Tuesday, Naylor will start a rehab assignment with the Akron RubberDucks, Cleveland's Double-A affiliate. 

The plan is for Naylor to play every other day through the weekend and assess whether he's ready to join the Big League team after seeing how he recovers.

Naylor has a slash line of .306/.321/.438 on the season while leading the team with 79 RBI. He's provided the much-needed protection that Jose Ramirez needs in the middle of the lineup.

Josh has also become a solid defensive first baseman this season as well. Cleveland traded for veteran outfielder, Kole Calhoun, to take reps at first while Naylor has been out.

Naylor has been a staple of the team on the field and in the clubhouse all season and it'll be great to have him back on the team. 

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