CLEVELAND — Spring has sprung, and another fantastic season of Guardians baseball is about to grace our presence!
Coming off an American League Central Division championship in 2022, Cleveland opens its 2023 season on the road Thursday night against the Seattle Mariners. Prior to first pitch, the club not only announced extensions for second baseman Andrés Giménez and relief pitcher Trevor Stephan, but it also revealed its initial 26-man roster for opening day.
Along with some key additions like Josh Bell and Mike Zunino, much of last year's group returns as the Guards look to contend for a title. However, a few notable names will unfortunately start things off on the injured list.
Here's a look at the full slate of players (subject to change many times this season, we're sure...).
Starting pitchers
- No. 57 Shane Bieber
- No. 34 Zach Plesac
- No. 43 Aaron Civale
- No. 47 Cal Quantrill
- No. 33 Hunter Gaddis
Injured list
- No. 24 Triston McKenzie (15-day IL)
- No. 36 Cody Morris (60-day IL)
McKenzie's strained shoulder represents a tremendous early blow, and Morris probably would've been the next man up had he not suffered the exact same injury. As always, though, Bieber remains the ace, with the Guardians also hoping for bounce-back campaigns from Plesac and Civale. For the moment, Gaddis is the fifth option, but will have to improve on last season's performance (18.41 ERA in two starts) to avoid being jettisoned to Columbus.
Relief pitchers
- No. 48 Emmanuel Clase
- No. 37 Trevor Stephan
- No. 49 Eli Morgan
- No. 99 James Karinchak
- No. 62 Enyel Del Los Santos
- No. 52 Nick Sandlin
- No. 29 Tim Herrin
- No. 44 Xzavion Curry
Injured list
- No. 31 Sam Hentges (15-day IL)
Six of the eight names return from last year's bullpen that posted a stellar 3.05 ERA and saved 51 games, with flame-thrower Clase accounting for an MLB-best 42 of those. With reliable lefty Hentges currently sidelined, rookie Herrin will take that role after allowing just a .238 batting average against all hitters last year in the minors. Curry rounds out the group with Gaddis bumped up to the rotation.
Catchers
- No. 10 Mike Zunino
- No. 46 Meibrys Viloria
- No. 35 Cam Gallagher
Carrying three catchers is... interesting, but the Guardians hope it will give them some early flexibility with in-game substitutions. Free-agent signee Zuninio leads the way as he hopes to recapture his 2021 All-Star form, while Viloria is currently listed as the primary backup and boasts an impressive 36% caught stealing rate during a four-year career. The veteran Gallagher can also easily fill that role, but don't be surprised to see star prospect Bo Naylor in Cleveland sooner rather than later.
Infielders
- No. 55 Josh Bell
- No. 0 Andrés Giménez
- No. 11 José Ramírez
- No. 1 Amed Rosario
- No. 22 Josh Naylor
- No. 13 Gabriel Arias
Clearly, there's a lot to like about the depth and talent of this group, with Ramírez and Giménez both bona fide MVP candidates and new arrival Bell bringing a huge power boost. Naylor also hit 20 homers last year and will split time with Bell at first base and DH, and Arias took firm hold of the utility infield spot after a very strong spring (.333 average, 10 runs scored).
Outfielders
- No. 38 Steven Kwan
- No. 7 Myles Straw
- No. 39 Oscar Gonzalez
- No. 17 Will Brennan
What had been a major question mark at the start of last season now seems much more stable following the emergence of Kwan and Gonzalez. Still, it remains to be seen if both can avoid the dreaded "sophomore slump," and Gold Glove center fielder Straw also must offer more at the plate (.564 OPS, zero homers in 2022). Regardless, expect Brennan to get a lot of at bats, as well.