The Cleveland Guardians pulled off a dramatic 10-8 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.
However, the victory came with a potential downside as first baseman and leading slugger Josh Naylor had to leave the game due to a left ankle injury.
Fans were understandably worried about the possibility of losing one of their top hitters for a significant period.
Fortunately, it seems the team may have avoided a major setback.
Manager Stephen Vogt provided an update, revealing that Naylor’s injury is a bone bruise without any structural damage. Vogt also praised Clase for his outstanding performance and emphasized that the night was his. Bally Sports Cleveland shared Vogt’s comments on X.
While Naylor has a career-high 28 home runs and a respectable.240/.322/.464 line with a.786 OPS, he is undoubtedly streaky.
He is the only real, legitimate power threat in the middle of the Guardians lineup aside from Jose Ramirez, and his absence would have had a significant negative impact on the team’s run production.
He did roll his ankle and needed assistance leaving the field, so just because he avoided structural injury does not mean he won’t miss a few games.
However, Cleveland is happy to swap a few games for a few days, weeks, or months.
Vogt should release the starting lineup for Saturday’s game this weekend, which should provide us with more information regarding how much Naylor will miss.
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