Cleveland Guardians in Awkward Spot With Rookie Slugger
CJ Kayfus is fighting for a spot on the Cleveland Guardians roster after a strong end to the 2025 season.
Video Transcript
All offseason, it looked like the Cleveland Guardians plan for the 2026 season was to let the kids play.
That included Chase DeLauter, George Valera, and at the time, CJ Cafis.
But now the Guardians are kind of in an awkward spot with the rookie slugger because right now there really isn't a spot for him on the big league roster, and it's hard to envision when one could become available throughout the season.
Like I said, Cafis was definitely grouped into that young core of players that it felt like the front office wanted to see give an opportunity to once the regular season began, and it would have made, would have made perfect sense for him to be paired with Kyle Manzardo at first base as the first base designated hitter tandem with seeing a little bit of time in the outfield as well.
But after the Rhys Hoskins signing, it's hard to see exactly where Cafis fits.
Right now, Manzardo and then Hoskins definitely feels like that first base designated hitter tandem.
And then the outfield, it's not like the Guardians have a lot of open playing time out there too.
Chase DeLauter, George Valera, Stephen Kwan, possibly Nolan Jones to start the season.
Angel Martinez could definitely be in that mix as well.
So there really isn't-- Or PD Helpen also is having an incredible spring and could force his way onto the opening day roster too.
So there really isn't a lot of spots for Cafis to step into the lineup or step into the roster, which definitely means like it feels like he's gonna start the season at Triple A.
And to make it even more interesting is that Cafis, yes, definitely had a slow start to his big league career.
After he was called up in August, he only had an OPS of about five hundred through his first fifty-four plate appearances or so.
But in September, he was one of the Guardian's best hitters.
He had an OPS about above eight hundred and eighty-eight, and he even at the minor league level last season at Triple A, had a weighted runs created plus of a hundred and fifty-one.
So he has nothing left to prove at that level either.
He's kind of caught in between the spot of he definitely deserves to be on the Major League roster, but there's really not a spot for him, so he's probably gonna start the season at the minor league level.
It'll be very interesting to see what happens with Cafis throughout the year.
Obviously, I don't think he'll spend the entire season at the minor league level.
That would be very shocking and very surprising.
But the question of when does he get that call up to the majors, and does he get the call up because he's knocking on the door, banging on the door and proves he needs to be there, or does he get there because of another injury or underperformance as well?
Right now, at this point in spring training, Cafis is really making everything a lot interesting, and he's definitely in an awkward spot with the Guardians.
