The last week has been quite a whirlwind in the sport of baseball. It's inevitable that there's going to be roster moves during and following the trade deadline and the Cleveland Guardians were no exception to this.
Their latest move was to call-up highly-ranked shortstop prospect, Brayan Rocchio, from Triple-A to fill the team's empty roster spot.
Rocchio has now joined the Big League Roster four total times this season. His first call-up with on April 19, however, he didn't get in the game and went back down to Triple-A the next day. Rocchio's next two stints with the Guardians were in the middle of May and the beginning of June.
The highly touted infield prospect just has 14 Big League at-bats. In those appearances, he's tailed three hits including an RBI. He also demonstrated how good he can be on defense with an incredible catch at third base.
There's a lot to like about Rocchio and what his bat can bring to Cleveland's lineup. He may still be looking for a groove in the Big Leagues, but it's clear Minor League pitching can't contain him.
Rocchio owns a slash line of .291/.383/.417 with an OPS of .800 during the 2023 season. He has a .347 batting average and a .449 OBP in his last 18 games for the Clippers showing he's ready for the Majors.
The Guardians had an empty roster spot after they traded Josh Bell to the Marlins during the closing stages of the trade deadline. The team cut Jean Segura which opened up a roster spot that Rocchio is now filling.
We'll have to wait and see where exactly he gets playing time. Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman are currently competing for shortstop which could open up playing time at third if Jose Ramirez DHs more.
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