Guardians notes: Vogt tinkers with batting order

CLEVELAND — With Jose Ramirez in the midst of a rare extended offensive struggle, manager Stephen Vogt took measures for the series finale against the Angels on Wednesday afternoon. With fellow struggler Steven Kwan getting the day off, Angel Martinez hit leadoff, while Ramirez moved from his usual third spot in the order to second, and Chase DeLauter batted third. It was the first time Ramirez didn't hit third since last year. "Just looking at it, it was kind of like, 'Well, let's attack (Angels starting pitcher, left-hander Reid Detmers) with two of our better right-handed hitters (switch-hitting Martinez and Ramirez) right out of the chute," Vogt said. "And I've been thinking about looking at Hosey in the two hole, chasing the three hole for a little while, anyway. So I felt today might be the day to try it out, try to get Hosey a third right-handed at-bat. And so we're going for it." Ramirez entered Wednesday batting .210 with six homers, 16 RBIs, a .707 OPS and a .337 on-base percentage through 44 games. He was hitting .289 right handed and .179 left handed through Tuesday and hasn't homered since he went deep twice against the Orioles on April 19. "I don't think there's a concern with Hosey," Vogt said. "I think there's definitely a little more swing than we've seen in the past. He gets pitched differently than anybody else in our lineup, and at times, I think it kind of makes him go out of the zone a little bit more than (usual). But he's still taking his walks from time to time. I just don't think he's gotten much to drive. I think pitchers are being very, very careful with Hosey." With the off day Thursday, Kwan will get two days off. He entered Wednesday batting .206 with a .576 OPS and a .311 on-base percentage in 41 games, not the type of numbers the Guardians are used to seeing from one of their top offensive catalysts. "When you're an everyday player like that, anytime you get an off day, it's a good day for you to turn off, get your feet up and trying to get two days in a row can be really beneficial," Vogt said. "But I think we've seen some really good signs from Kwany during this 13-game stretch. He's had a couple games where he's gotten a couple hits, couple walks over the weekend. (Tuesday), I thought his first at-bat was vintage Kwany, getting a split down and away, hitting it to left-center (for a leadoff single). "Kwany's working and continuing to play great defense. Kwany's one of our best players. We go when he goes." Vogt thought Martinez, who hit first for the fourth time this season, was the ideal candidate to replace Kwan atop the order. "I think he's dangerous right from pitch No. 1," Vogt said. "Angel's got power to … he's ready to swing and everybody knows it. So you got to make a really good first quality pitch. I just like his ability to impact the game. He's been swinging the bat well from both sides, but particularly right-handed." Martinez was batting .260 with six homers, 18 RBIs and a .758 OPS in 40 games through Tuesday. "He's growing up, becoming a better hitter, becoming more of a complete hitter," Vogt said. "And with every day, our players are getting more and more experience. I think Angel's really starting to see he has elite bat-to-ball skill and when he swings at the right pitches, he's able to hit it really hard. "And I think every young hitter continues to grow and understand, 'If I can shrink the strike zone and I can bring that pitcher into the strike zone, I've got a lot better chance to hit it hard.' And we've seen Angel struggle with (chasing) at times. But when he does keep that pitcher in the zone, man, is he dynamic." Transaction time With a taxed bullpen, the Guardians optioned right-hander Franco Aleman back to Triple-A Columbus and recalled righty Codi Heuer. Aleman was promoted Friday and made his major league debut two days later. In his second appearance Tuesday night, he allowed a solo homer in the eighth inning of a 3-2 win over the Angels. "Unfortunately, the move's Franco Aleman. It's just one of those things," Vogt said. "Franco threw the ball excellent, two great outings. We threw him in the eighth inning of a two-run game because we had that kind of confidence in him. We know Franco will be back to help us win a ton of games. Just the position we're in right now, we needed some innings today with where the bullpen is." Heuer, 29, was a sixth-round draft pick of the White Sox in 2018 and owns a 3.67 ERA in 89 MLB games. He posted a 2.57 ERA with 12 strikeouts over 14 appearances for Columbus. "He can give us multiple innings. He's been throwing the ball really well," Vogt said. "He had a great spring and was off to a great start in Columbus, so really excited to have Codi here." Doctor's office Reliever Shawn Armstrong made a rehab appearance for Double-A Akron on Tuesday, allowing a run on a hit and a walk in one inning. "He felt good, said he felt like he could pitch today," Vogt said of the right-hander. "We're going to get through the off day and evaluate where he's at. I think we're still going back and forth on whether or not he needs to go do another (rehab appearance). So we're kind of at that day-to-day progression with his return." Next up Cleveland is off today before wrapping up a nine-game homestand with a three-game series against former manager Terry Francona and the Reds.RHP Tanner Bibee (0-5, 4.17 ERA) opens the set for the Guardians on Friday night at 7:10, while RHP Gavin Williams (5-3, 3.74) goes Cleveland on Saturday night at 6:10. LHP Joey Cantillo (3-1, 2.98) starts the series finale Sunday at 1:10 p.m. Cincinnati has not set its rotation for the series. Contact Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.