Guardians notes: C.J. Kayfus joins Cleveland to make major league debut

CLEVELAND — David Kayfus was making the 4½–hour trip from West Palm Beach, Florida, to Jacksonville to see his son C.J. play for Triple-A Columbus on Friday. That's when he got the call after "The call." "I think he was halfway there, and I told him to turn around and get a flight to Cleveland," said C.J. Kayfus, who was officially promoted from the minors Saturday and made his major league debut against the Twins, playing right field and batting eighth. "I think he had to pull over and let my stepmom start driving. He was really excited." Kayfus, a third-round draft pick in 2022, is here for his bat. Ranked by MLB Pipeline as Cleveland's fourth-best prospect, Kayfus has slashed .300/.390/.539 for Columbus and Double-A Akron, hitting 14 home runs with 54 RBIs and a 1.066 OPS in 86 games (68 at Triple-A). "He can hit. I know that the swing's going to play," manager Stephen Vogt said prior to Saturday's game. "It's just a matter of getting comfortable, and we're trying to do that for him right away. For C.J., just really excited for him. He's had a great season in the minor leagues. We know he can help us offensively." Kayfus, 23, is a natural first baseman, but with a log jam at the position for Cleveland the past two seasons — Josh Naylor, Kyle Manzardo, David Fry and Carlos Santana — he's made the move to the outfield. "Last year, I was playing once or twice a week out in the outfield, but this year it jumped up to three to four and there was a week where I played every game out there," Kayfus said. "I think that's where it really got comfortable for just the consistency of play. There's definitely going to be a learning curve (in MLB ballparks), but I think I'll get used to it pretty quick though." "Getting in here and seeing that third deck and getting used to that, it can be daunting," Vogt said of Progressive Field. "It can be a little bit different, but JT McGuire is the best outfield coach in baseball and if there's anybody that can help him, (it's him). So, no worries about C.J. playing the outfield." Vogt admits it may be difficult to get Kayfus regular playing time at the beginning. "It's going to be a timeshare with everybody," he said. "I think no one's going to play every day. We've got (Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan) that play every day and everybody else is going to share time. It's going to be complicated and there's going to be some times where guys are sitting after they get three hits, but that's because we play everybody. "I know I've got my work cut out for me to make sure that everybody's getting their fair share of time, but that's how we're built. We're built to have everybody contributing at all times. I feel like this group of 13 (position players) is a really, really talented mix." To clear a roster spot for Kayfus, the Guardians optioned Johnathan Rodriguez back to Columbus. Rodriguez has been up multiple times this season, but has produced only a .167 average, one homer and six RBIs in 28 games. The Guardians also officially added reliever Carlos Hernandez to the major league roster after claiming him off waivers from the Tigers. In a mildly surprising move, left-hander Tim Herrin was optioned to Columbus to make room for the veteran righty. Herrin was a key member of the bullpen last year, spending the entire season with Cleveland and posting a 1.92 ERA over 75 appearances. But he hasn't been nearly as effective in 2025, owning a 4.06 ERA in 39 games. In capable hands When closer Emmanuel Clase was placed on leave, right-hander Cade Smith stumbled in his first appearance as the replacement, but his next two outings were near flawless. "The way that I look at it is it's one of the beauties of baseball, particularly coming out of the bullpen, is that you have so many opportunities to be in games," Smith said. "You have an outing that leaves a bad taste in your mouth, you learn what you can from it, you forget about it and you get ready to bounce back the next day. And same thing if you have a good outing. What happened yesterday is over and it's 'What can I control today to put myself and help the team be in a position to win a game." Smith's latest effort Friday night included two scoreless and hitless innings with three strikeouts in a 3-2, 10-inning win over Minnesota. "When you're the home team in extra innings, it's about punch outs," Vogt said. "Cade's quick to the plate and strikes people out. That's what you need in extra innings. He's built for the extra innings." Roundin' third Left fielder Steven Kwan notched his MLB-leading 10th outfield assist Saturday. The Guardians entered Saturday leading the majors with 27 outfield assists. … Kyle Manzardo's 10-game hitting streak was the longest active streak in the AL through Friday. … Sunday, 1:40, Guardians TV; WOBL 1320-AM and 107.7-FM, WTAM 1100-AM, WMMS 100.7-FM. Cantillo (2-1, 4.14) vs. Urena (0-0, 5.40). Contact Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him on X @CAwesomeheimer.