Guardians’ Sensational stars gives injury update ahead of playoffs which see them out of season action with…
With their 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, the Cleveland Guardians are officially back in the playoffs. Now the question is when will All-Star outfielder Steven Kwan return from injury?
“Soon. It should be sooner rather than later,” Kwan assured.
Kwan last played on September 12, and was scratched the following day due to body fatigue, via MLB.com’s Mandy Bell. Cleveland then placed the 27-year-old on the 10-day IL on Tuesday.
Kwan admitted it was “bittersweet” to not be on the field when the Guardians clinched a playoff berth.
“Yeah for sure, it’s a little bittersweet, but bigger picture,” Kwan said. “I mean, this wasn’t our end goal, our end goal is to win the World Series, this is kind of just a drop in the bucket and a step in the right direction. We have a lot more baseball coming up, so gotta make sure we’re prepared for that.”
What’s most important, though, is that Kwan is 100% healthy for October.
Kwan is only in his third year, but he’s already on his second manager and playoff berth. Cleveland enjoyed a first-place finish under Terry Francona in 2022, eventually falling 3-2 to the New York Yankees in the ALDS. However, Francona stepped down after the Guardians’ 76-86 finish last season. This year, though, reminds Kwan of ’22.
“Yeah, 2022 was kind of a whirlwind for me my first year. Feel like we were on top of the world that year,” Kwan said. “2023 we had high expectations obviously, didn’t work out the way we wanted it too. Coming into 2024, it kind of had shades of 2022 again. To be able to come through and secure a dub today is really cool.”
Kwan also complimented new Cleveland manager Steven Vogt.
“He lets us do our jobs. He doesn’t micromanage, he really trusts us, he believes in us every single day which I think is huge,” Kwan continued. “In turn, we wanna win for him, we wanna play for him, and the results speak for themselves.”
While a good manager is essential, good players are the key ingredient, and Kwan is one of the MLB’s best. The lefty is slashing .291/.364/.419 with 13 homers, 43 RBI, and 12 stolen bases in 120 games. The combination of him and slugger Jose Ramirez is the type of “Thunder and Lightning” combination that can take teams to new heights.
Drenched in Champagne and beer, manager Stephen Vogt stood proudly in the clubhouse, holding up a fake jeweled championship belt like a victorious boxer. Cleveland is now set to compete for a real championship in October.
Guided by their 39-year-old rookie manager, who has made all the right decisions this season, and a strong bullpen, the Guardians secured one of the American League’s six playoff spots on Thursday with a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins — marking Cleveland’s 42nd comeback, the most in the majors.
This surprising season will include a chance in the playoffs. As one of baseball’s youngest teams, they have the opportunity to end decades of playoff disappointment for a franchise with the longest active World Series title drought.
