José Tena Making Case To Be On Guardians' Opening Day Roster

Where does José Tena fit into the Cleveland Guardians' plans?

The battle for the Cleveland Guardians' starting shortstop has been centered around Brayan Rocchio and Gabriel Arias. However, neither of these candidates has set themselves apart during spring training. 

This could cause the organization to look at another option to hold down the middle infield with Andrés Giménez. One prospect who is making a convincing argument is José Tena. 

Tena was recently ranked by MLB Pipeline as the organization's 24th-ranked prospect. However, his spring training stats are making the case for him to be on the Opening Day roster.

Through 11 games and 15 at-bats, Tena has a slash line of .267/.400/.267 in spring training. All of his hits have been singles but he's still able to drive in a pair of runs to go along with this. Not to mention Tena has also flashed leather on multiple occasions demonstrating his talent on defense too. 

This production has even caught the eye of Stephen Vogt who touched on what he's seen from him during camp.

"He can play some defense, that's for sure. His at-bats have been pretty good. Obviously, there's things we're all working on, but I've really liked the way José has played."

Sep 20, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians shortstop Jose Tena (8) bats during the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium / © Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland originally called Tena up at the end of the 2023 season. He only appeared in 18 games (31 at-bats) and hit .226 in those sporadic opportunities. 

At this point, it still feels like either Arias or Rocchio are the front runners to be the Opening Day starting shortstop. However, Tena's strong spring can't be ignored and, given that he's already made his big league debut, the organization will have to decide where he fits into their plans sooner than later.