CLEVELAND — The Guardians are missing a bit of their extraordinary leadoff hitter and adding one with power and potential.
Cleveland placed outfielder Steven Kwan, who leads the AL with a .353 average, on the 10-day injured list on Monday with a left hamstring strain he suffered while catching a fly ball over the weekend.
Kwan felt tightness in his hamstring and was held out of Saturday’s win over the Angels as a precaution. An MRI revealed acute tension and the Guardians said Kwan was likely to be sidelined for up to a month.
“Very unfortunate news,” said coach Stephen Vogt. “We are going to miss Kwanny very much. You can’t replace someone like that, but four weeks isn’t horrible. Anytime it’s a hamstring, it’s not good. But it seems like that shouldn’t hold him back for long. I just need to make sure he’s back to 100% before I take him back.”
Kwan said he had hamstring issues while playing at Oregon State and in the minors.
His injury is a blow to the AL Central-leading Guardians, but it is giving the team a chance to promote hard-hitting prospect Kyle Manzardo, who has been attacking minor league pitchers this season and will now join a lineup Cleveland can use some half muscle.
The Guardians were one of the first surprise teams of the season – they are 22-12 heading into their series opener against Detroit – with Kwan a big reason for the club’s quick start.
He seems to start or be in the middle of virtually every rally, and the 26-year-old Kwan continues to be one of the best outfielders in the league. Last year, he won his second consecutive Gold Glove.
Kwan’s injury is the first to impact Cleveland’s everyday lineup, but the club has dealt with a number of pitching issues, including ace Shane Bieber undergoing season-ending elbow surgery.
Vogt is confident his team will respond to the loss of Kwan.
“No one person needs to replace it,” Vogt said. “We just need to keep playing our game. Yes, it’s a huge success, but just like pitching, when we lost the Biebs, the guys stepped up. We cannot control what happened. We can only control who gets the opportunity and we feel good about our guys who will be here.”
Manzardo’s reputation as a hitter preceded his arrival in Cleveland.
The 23-year-old was acquired at last year’s trade deadline from Tampa Bay for pitcher Aaron Civale. The Rays were reluctant to part with Manzardo but needed pitching, while the Guardians longed for a big bat in the middle of their order.
“Kyle is a very good, powerful hitter and if a pitcher makes a mistake, he can knock you out of the park,” Vogt said.
Manzardo had a strong spring for the Guardians, who had him start the season at Triple-A Columbus to build confidence. He did just that, hitting .303 with nine homers, 10 doubles and 20 RBIs in 29 games.
Cleveland fans have been clamoring for Manzardo, who will be the club’s DH and will be the seventh batter in the series opener against the Tigers and is expected to see some playing time at first base. Vogt placed Estevan Florial in Kwan’s first position.
“They told me I would DH a lot in the short term and then mix it up at first base,” Manzardo said.
Vogt said Manzardo will primarily be used as the team’s DH, but it’s possible he could get some time on the field after working with head coach JT Maguire.
“We just want to create as much versatility as possible with our lineup,” Vogt said. “But as of now, I would say he will get most of his reps at DH.”
Additionally, the Guardians activated left-hander Sam Hentges from the injured list. The reliever has been sidelined since training camp with a middle finger issue.
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