New Guardians outfielder Stuart Fairchild has history with manager Steven Vogt

CLEVELAND — New Guardians outfielder Stuart Fairchild called it a "full-circle moment." Fairchild, selected by Cleveland from Triple-A Columbus Friday, made his major-league debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 6, 2021. He pinch ran for D-backs catcher Stephen Vogt, now the Guardians manager. The 30-year-old outfielder said being a former teammate of Vogt "impacted my decision" to sign with Cleveland. "He gave me a phone call," Fairchild said. "I felt welcome." Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan was placed on the bereavement/family medial emergency list. A player can spend three to seven days on the list, which means Kwan could miss the entire Red Sox series. "Our thoughts are with Kwanie and his family week," Vogt said. "We'll miss him this week." Fairchild, a native of Taiwan, was batting .289 with eight doubles, two triples and five home runs at Columbus. "He has a good track record hitting left-handed pitching," Vogt said. Fairchild was playing almost every day for the Clippers. "We have a great group down there," he said. "It helped me relax." Fairchild signed a minor-league deal with the Guardians on Dec. 20 and was a non-roster invitee to spring training. He played for Chinese Taipei in the World Baseball Classic in the summer. "Taiwanese fans have supported me," he said. "Some of them have driven five to eight hours to see me in a Triple-A game. No matter where I'd go, there would be Taiwanese fans." Fairchild has played 277 games in his MLB career with Arizona, Seattle, San Francisco, Cincinnati and Atlanta. He said he got the call from the Guardians Wednesday while playing in Toledo and drove to on Cleveland Thursday. Fairchild said he knows several Cleveland players, including rookie second baseman Travis Bazzana, who was batting .302 coming into Friday's game against Boston. "He's so deliberate in his work," Fairfield said of Bazzana. "Each day at AAA, he seemed to be getting better. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time." The Guardians also transferred infielder Gabriel Arias (left hamstring strain) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day list. Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com.