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Cleveland Guardians Rookie Finding Stride After Slow Start
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- Cleveland Guardians Rookie Finding Stride After Slow Start
The Cleveland Guardians ' motive for promoting their No. 12 prospect, Kahlil Watson, back on June 17 was clear: they needed more offense amid injuries to the team's top three hitters.
Watson owned a .861 OPS at Triple-A and looked ready for his next challenge at the big-league level. He also made a great impression on the coaching staff back in Goodyear during his extended look with the big-league team during Spring Training.
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The opportunity was there, and Cleveland chose to give Watson a chance to prove himself.
However, it took the 23-year-old a minute to sort himself out at the plate. Watson went 0-for-12 with eight strikeouts in his first four MLB games. Swing-and-miss had always been an issue for Watson in the Minors, but even this was a bit alarming at first.
Watson isn't the first player to look overmatched right after making his MLB debut, and he certainly won't be the last.
What has been really impressive with the rookie outfielder is that Watson has taken the slow start, made adjustments, and has been arguably Cleveland's hitter over the last week.
Jun 23, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Kahlil Watson (31) points after he hits a home run during the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
After hitting a line drive to center field in Monday night's contest against the Texas Rangers , Watson is now on a seven-game hitting streak. Three of those games have been multi-hit contests, too.
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Not only is Watson finding his stride, but the rookie has come up with some big hits in clutch moments for the Guardians.
Watson's first MLB hit came on June 22, which was a two-run RBI single that set up a critical inning for Cleveland in which it tied the game at the time. His second big-league hit came a day later and was a solo home run.
Given Cleveland's struggles with runners in scoring position, this has been a breath of fresh air for the Guardians.
The rookie is bound to go through more growing pains and learning curves; everyone does.
However, Watson is going to keep getting opportunities in the outfield, especially with Chase DeLauter looking like he'll be primarily Cleveland's designated hitter for the foreseeable future.
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If the rookie keeps swinging a hot bat and putting together quality at-bats, he'll quickly carve out a long-term role on this Guardians team.
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