Guardians Could Make Surprising Move With Rising Prospect

The Cleveland Guardians' offense is definitely in need of some help, and while the obvious answer seems to be outfielder Chase DeLauter, a Guardians insider has offered another name: C.J. Kayfus.

DeLauter was widely expected to make the major-league team heading into the season, but a sports hernia that required surgery sabotaged things for the youngster. Now, however, DeLauter is healthy and making his way back at Triple-A Columbus, which could put him on the fast track to the bigs.

But then there is Kayfus, who began the campaign at Double-A Akron and slashed .364/.475/.591 with a home run and 11 RBI over 80 plate appearances before being promoted to Triple-A Columbus, where he is slashing .315/.392/.539 with four homers and 13 RBI across 102 trips to the dish.

“I don’t know if they’re ready to pull the trigger on making a move," insider Paul Hoynes said on the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast. “I think Kayfus would be the guy ahead of DeLauter. He just got to Triple-A. This guy needs to play some games.”

Raking isn't new to Kayfus, either. He was originally selected by the Guardians in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft and saw his first minor-league action last year, where he mashed to the tune of a .904 OPS, posting 17 dingers with 92 RBI through 481 plate appearances.

Kayfus can play both first base and outfield, so perhaps he could solve Cleveland's issue in right field, where neither Jhonkensy Noel nor Nolan Jones have been able to produce.

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