The Cleveland Guardians are slowly getting healthier on all fronts as the team wraps up a successful month of May. They just got their Gold Glove left fielder back before a crucial homestand.
Steven Kwan was officially activated off the injured list on Friday afternoon after missing the last month with a hamstring injury he suffered on May 4. He will return to the lineup on Friday afternoon and hit leadoff.
Kwan was one of the best hitters in all of baseball before the injury and had a slash line of .353/.407/.496 with an OPS of .903. The Guardians are hoping for more of the same upon his return.
Kwan appeared in four rehab appearances (two for the Lake County Captains and two for the Columbus Clippers) before making his return. He hit a combined 4-for-10 in those games and didn’t record a strikeout.
The Guardians have been playing great baseball lately and Kwan’s addition only makes them a more dangerous team.
The Guardians had to make a corresponding move to make room for Kwan on the roster. Estevan Florial was the odd man out in this case and was designated for assignment.
Cleveland acquired Florial over the offseason hoping that he’d provide some power to their outfield group. He appeared in 36 games for the Guardians and hit .173/.264/.367 which included three home runs and 11 RBI.
There were certainly some moments that showed Florial’s potential, but he was out of options and Cleveland needed the roster space for other players.