Guardians position battles include middle infield with Rocchio, Arias

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Guardians position battles include middle infield with Rocchio, Arias

Ryan Lewis, Akron Beacon Journal · Akron Beacon Journal

Mon, Feb 16, 2026 ·

6 min read

Guardians position battles 2026: Rocchio, Arias, Bazzana, Brito all factors in middle infield

If healthy, Bazzana should receive a significant amount of time in the major leagues this season — it's just a matter of when he gets the call to travel I-71 from Columbus to Cleveland . He'll have a chance to break camp with the major league roster with a tremendous spring, but those odds remain low, and he's likely headed to Triple-A for at least a few weeks.

The Guardians also have switch-hitting infielder prospect Juan Brito awaiting the call to the major leagues at some point in 2026. Both Bazzana and Brito were on track to make their MLB debuts last season, but both dealt with lengthy injury absences. Bazzana missed time with an oblique injury , and Brito was sidelined with thumb and hamstring issues.

They won't be held back forever, which means Rocchio and Arias will begin spring camp not only trying to ensure they open the season in the starting lineup, but that they stay there as long as possible into the summer. It isn't always easy to be looking over your shoulder, but as the Guardians search for ways to improve an offense that ranked 28th last year , finding some pre-playoff production up the middle of the infield is a good place to start.

"All you can control is playing hard that day. We don't know how camp's going to shake out," said manager Stephen Vogt . "We have a lot of competition in a lot of areas this spring, which is great. That's a mark of a good team. And all you can control is yourself and your effort and your attitude and going out and playing the game the right way. And Brayan and Gabby did a phenomenal job up the middle for us last year. But this is spring training, and we're going to see how it ends up."

Rocchio over the last few weeks of the season hit .286 with a .787 OPS as the Guardians finally tracked down the Detroit Tigers . He also saved their playoff chances with a tremendous defensive play in mid-September and then drilled a walk-off home run off the right field foul pole on the season's final day. In 13 playoff games between 2024 and 2025, he reached a new level , hitting .310 with an .883 OPS (two home runs, two doubles, three RBIs, six runs, five walks in 42 at-bats).

In a way, his future status and playing time at least partially comes down to whether the Guardians can get six months out of "Playoff Rocchio" rather than six weeks.

"Go play — day-to-day, one day at a time," Vogt said when asked how the Guardians can get more time out of the playoff version of Rocchio. "He's shared that mindset and he's worked really hard to own that mindset of one-day-at-a-time. … I don't think the expectations on Brayan — yeah, of course they're high, they're high on all of our guys — but just go be yourself [is the message]."

Arias, who doesn't yet appear to have an alter-ego tied to a specific time of year, has struggled to find any consistency at the plate in the major leagues. Last season, he slashed .233/.290/.340 with 77 strikeouts in 115 games. He's never posted an OPS above .630 in a single season, though the Guardians like his defense and versatility in the field. They often try to give as much time to young players as possible to find their footing in the majors, and Arias might be reaching that point, at least as a starter.

Rocchio has the best shot to maintain a starting spot further into the future — for now. Vogt noted Feb. 14 they'll have him play plenty of second base and shortstop this spring, while Arias will see time at shortstop and third base, eventually allowing him to spell Jose Ramirez , who will occasionally act as the designated hitter to get him off his feet while keeping his bat in the lineup, as he's done the last few years.

At some point in the near future, assuming all goes well, at least Bazzana is in position to be called up, and the Guardians will want him to get regular at-bats when that happens. It means Rocchio and Arias could then be battling for time at shortstop, and this is all before considering Brito, who can play all over the field and factor into the mix in a variety of ways, and his possible promotion.

Then there's Angel Martinez, who can move between the middle infield and center field, along with potentially Daniel Schneemann and others. The possibility remains that over the next six weeks, Martinez, Schneemann or someone else supplants Rocchio and/or Arias in one of those spots up the middle — even before Bazzana or Brito can even get to Cleveland.

So while Rocchio and Arias might have an inside track to being in the Opening Day lineup as camp begins in mid-February, it's a crowded situation, both this spring and into the regular season.

Unless, that is, if "Playoff Rocchio" sees his shadow in the spring and summer instead of just autumn. Then all bets are off. But if he stays hidden until the leaves begin to change and fall, Bazzana might not be the only midfield prospect with a clear path to regular at-bats in Cleveland.

Ryan Lewis covers the Cleveland Guardians and Cavaliers for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com.