The Cleveland Guardians didn’t call up top prospect Travis Bazzana on Tuesday to keep him on the bench, throwing him into the lineup at second base just hours after his promotion from Triple-A Columbus.
Bazzana, 23, will be back in the lineup on Wednesday afternoon as Cleveland concludes its three-game series against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.
A quality pitching matchup should be in store as Drew Rasmussen (2-0, 2.45 ERA) of the Rays opposes Gavin Williams (4-1, 3.28) of the Guardians in a battle of right-handers.
Tampa Bay is seeking the sweep if day-long rain in the forecast doesn’t materialize.
“When I got drafted, I would have hoped by 2026 that I would be able to impact this team,” Bazzana said. “It’s good to be here now. There have been a couple bumps, but I’m really feeling strong and in a right place to help this team win.”
The first overall pick in the 2024 draft, Bazzana made his debut Tuesday by going 0-for-2 with two walks in a 1-0 loss, the Guardians’ fourth straight defeat. The Australian’s second walk was an intentional pass in the ninth inning by Cole Sulser.
“Travis had good at-bats,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “He can hit the ball to all fields, great baserunner. For what I know about him, he’s driven to be great. He’s here to play second base, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.”
Bazzana, the consensus top prospect in the Guardians’ organization, batted .287 with two homers and 10 RBIs in 24 games with the Clippers. He had a 13-game on-base streak at the time of his promotion, which occurred with Cleveland rookie Juan Brito struggling at the position.
Brito batted .176 with three RBIs in 15 games and made four errors, including a crucial one Saturday that gave the Toronto Blue Jays the go-ahead run in a 5-3 win.
“With the need on the team, we need a little jolt,” Vogt said. “It was the right time.”
Williams has won three straight starts and four consecutive decisions but gave up a season-high six runs in six innings in an 8-6 victory over Toronto last Friday. He matched his season low with four strikeouts in a game that saw Cleveland score five runs in the top of the first inning.
Williams has pitched against Tampa Bay four times, going 1-1 with a 2.42 ERA in 22 1/3 innings.
The Rays have won six straight games, the last two by one run, and are 13-4 over their last 17 games. They also dodged a potential significant injury after third baseman Junior Caminero underwent tests Tuesday that revealed only a bruised jaw after he fouled a Tanner Bibee pitch into the dirt that bounced up and struck the right side of his face in the first inning. He left Tuesday’s game for X-rays, but manager Kevin Cash said he should be in the lineup Wednesday.
“Cami is in good spirits,” Cash said. “He should be able to go.”
Rasmussen has been exceptional in four of his five starts this season, compiling a 1.23 ERA over 22 innings. His only misstep was April 18 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, as he allowed four runs and two homers before being lifted with two outs in the fourth inning.
In six career appearances against Cleveland, four of them starts, Rasmussen has a 3.57 ERA in 17 2/3 innings without a decision. He faced the Guardians twice in 2025, giving up two runs in 11 frames.
“Hitting is hard to begin with, but velocity is probably the single-hardest element to deal with,” Rasmussen said. “It’s just a guessing game at that point, and if you have a 33 percent chance of guessing right, I can live with that.”
–Field Level Media
