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Takeaways From Cleveland Guardians Series Win Over Chicago White Sox
Aug 9, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cleveland Guardians players celebrate team's win against the Chicago White Sox in a baseball game at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Takeaways From Cleveland Guardians Series Win Over Chicago White Sox

Originally posted on Cleveland Guardians on SI
By Tommy Wild  |  Last updated Aug 10, 2025 9:30 PM ET

The Cleveland Guardians continue to get themselves back into the American League playoff race with their latest series win over the Chicago White Sox. 

From offense to defense, to first big-league home runs, a lot happened over the last three Guardians’ games. Here are three takeaways from Cleveland’s series win.

CJ Kayfus Has Arrived

Fans were clamoring for the Guardians to call up CJ Kayfus, going all the way back to the beginning of the season. Finally, the 23-year-old is in Cleveland, and the early returns from his first week in the big leagues have been nothing but encouraging.

Kayfus played in all three games against the White Sox, recording a .300 (3-for-10) batting average, with multiple of those hits coming in the clutch.

The rookie gave the Guardians a five-run lead in the first inning of the series opener with a three-run double, which missed being a grand slam by just a foot or two. Kayfus also ripped his first MLB home run on Saturday night.

Kayfus is far from a finished product both in the batter’s box and in the field, but he proved through his first in the majors that he belongs.

Steven Kwan Is Working Through Something At The Plate

Steven Kwan is a proven All-Star and one of the best contact hitters in MLB. However, he’s working through something at the plate right now.

Against the White Sox over the weekend, Cleveland’s leadoff hitter only had one hit in 14 at-bats (.071 batting average) and one walk. By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around, Kwan was clearly getting frustrated with his lack of production at the plate. 

The silver lining is that Kwan only struck out twice in the series, with the majority of his at-bats ending in pop-ups, meaning he’s still making contact. Now, it’s just about getting back to barreling the ball up. 

Brayan Rocchio Has Been Impressive At Second Base

Brayan Rocchio has received a ton of attention for his strides on offense since being recalled from the minors on July 1. Deservedly so, he’s hitting .280/.319/.430 with an OPS of .749 since then. 

However, Rocchio’s improvement on defense and his willingness to learn a new position in-season have been incredibly impressive, too. His progress on the right side of the infield was on full display against the White.

Cleveland’s new second baseman showcased his defensive improvements, making an incredible diving stop, igniting a double play in Saturday night’s game. 

Overall, Rocchio has looked very comfortable at second base.

Read More Cleveland Guardians Coverage


This article first appeared on Cleveland Guardians on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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