Guardians notes: Steven Kwan slumping, but healthy

CLEVELAND — On the just-completed road trip, Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan batted .222 (6-for-27) with no homers and one RBI. Things were even worse for the two-time All-Star in the Chicago White Sox series, as he hit .071 (1-for-14) with no homers or RBIs. Overall, his batting average has dipped to .278 with nine homers, 39 RBIs and 11 stolen bases entering Tuesday's game against the Marlins. Kwan's wrist bothered him earlier in the season and he had an injection, but manager Stephen Vogt said Kwan is healthy. "Kwanie had a week where he didn't get a bunch of hits, and that happens to any hitter on the planet at any given time," he said. "But Kwanie is feeling healthy, he's ready to rock and (I'm) excited to watch him play today." Scorching hot Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo, who batted .556 (5-for-9) with two homers and three RBIs against Chicago, is one of Cleveland's hottest hitters. In his last 20 games entering Tuesday, he's batting .365 (23-for-63) with seven homers, three doubles and 19 RBIs. "Manzo (has) stepped up in a big way, especially since he returned for the family leave list," Vogt said. "He's been on fire. We're watching his development in front of us. We talked about how he gets a lot of unfair pressure put on him. This guy barely (has) over a year of service time. "(He's) becoming a very consistent, middle-of-the-order bat and continuing to put a ton of work in on his defense (at first). Kyle's at-bats the last month, month-plus have just been phenomenal. He's taken what the pitcher gives him. (If) you make a mistake, he's driving (it) out of the yard. It helps lengthen the lineup and be that consistent protection behind Jose (Ramirez)." Vogt added that Manzardo, who entered Tuesday batting .244 with 20 home runs and 52 RBIs overall, has the right temperament. "Manzo has got a steady heartbeat," Vogt said. "He doesn't allow anything to get him up or down, and that's been a learning process, too. Every player goes through that. You don't know how to handle failure. You don't know how to handle a lot of success. You've never been here. Kyle's learned in a really quick way how to temper his emotions, and (I'm) really proud of him for that." Top unit Since July 1, Cleveland's bullpen leads the majors with a 2.28 earned run average, opponent batting average at .168 and OPS of .563. During that stretch, Erik Sabrowski (1.23 ERA), Jakob Junis (1.32) and Nic Enright (1.80) have sub-2.00 ERAs, while Kolby Allard (2.30) and Matt Festa (2.25) are under 3.00. "We're seeing a maturation of some young players," Vogt said. "With the bullpen, it's always been next guy up. They've answered the call." Hard-throwing Emmanuel Clase might have been the best closer in baseball, but the bullpen has thrived since he was suspended. "We have eight guys in our bullpen," Vogt said. "I couldn't be more prouder of our bullpen." Outfield cannons The Guardians' outfield leads the majors with 27 assists, ahead of Boston's 24. Kwan leads individually with 10, while Nolan Jones is second on the team with six. Means sighting Left-hander John Means, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, was seen in the Cleveland locker room Tuesday. "He's throwing a bullpen (today)," Vogt said. After that, the Guardians will decide the next step in his progress. He could go on a rehab assignment in the minor leagues. Vogt said he could eventually be given a start in the majors this season. The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder is 23-26 (.469) in seven seasons, all with Baltimore. Means, 32, was 12-11 with a 3.69 ERA with the Orioles in 2019 and hasn't pitched since 2024. Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com.