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Should the Guardians Make a Lineup Change for ALCS Game 3?
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- Should the Guardians Make a Lineup Change for ALCS Game 3?
The Cleveland Guardians ' postseason has featured some players who are overachieving and others who are meeting the team's expectations for them.
A couple of players have also underperformed, forcing manager Stephen Vogt to make a change.
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As the Guardians get ready for what feels like a must-win Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS , will Cleveland's skipper make another move to the starting lineup?
If the Guardians were going to make a change, the most likely place that it would come is at shortstop. Simply put, Brayan Rocchio has not looked like himself at the plate or in the field so far this October.
Rocchio has started all seven postseason games up to this point, but has just two hits in 22 at-bats (0.91 average), which includes a concerning seven strikeouts. Tampa's pitching has been feeding him nothing but high fastballs, and Rocchio is offering at them with no results.
Strictly looking at the bat, any change in the nine-hole could help Cleveland's offense.
Oct 5, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio (4) reacts after flying out against the Chicago White Sox during the seventh inning in game two of the ALDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images
Even when Rocchio hasn't been swinging the bat well, he's still warranted playing time thanks to his elite defense, but even that has been shaky over the last few weeks.
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For example, Rocchio's misplayed a would-be double play in Tampa Bay's critical fourth inning in Game 2, and he miscommunicated with Travis Bazzana on a ball later in the game, too.
The shortstop hasn't technically made an error yet this postseason, but the defense clearly has not been as sharp.
The big question is: would Vogt actually consider making a change at shortstop? Would the Guardians bench their starting shortstop and the player who earned the name "Playoff Rocchio" because of his postseason success?
Cleveland's skipper hasn't answered the questions with his words, but his actions have.
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After Angel Martinez struggled at the plate in the ALDS, Vogt took him in the lineup in favor of Petey Halpin. The move has proved successful up to this point, as the left-hander has actually come up with three hits in nine at-bats and has put together
It's the time of year when a team goes with their best nine players right now, no matter what their name is or what their past stats may show. Even the Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly considered benching Shohei Ohtani amid his postseason struggles.
If Cleveland decides to make a change, Angel Genao would be the next man up. The rookie only has 127 career at-bats at the big-league level. On the other hand, the Rays don't have a lot of film on him.
It'll be interesting to see what Vogt decides to do when lineups for Game 3 of the ALCS are announced on Thursday morning.
