The Guardians announced that outfielder has been recalled from Triple-A Columbus. Infielder has been sent the other way, optioned to Columbus as the corresponding move. Rocchio, 24, heads to the minors for the first time since the 2023 season. He spent the entire 2024 campaign in the big leagues as Clevelands primary shortstop. He appeared in 143 games and stepped to the plate 442 times. His offense wasnt great, as he hit just .206/.298/.316 for a 79 wRC+, indicating he was 21% below league average on the whole. He did steal 10 bases, but was also caught six times. His glovework was well regarded, as he racked up 11 Defensive Runs Saved and six Outs Above Average. Put all together, FanGraphs considered him to be worth 1.1 wins above replacement on the season, with Baseball Reference a bit more generous at 1.9. Thats obviously not outstanding production but fine value for a guy making modest pay since hes in his pre-arbitration years. It was enough for him to open the 2025 season back in that role, but his performance has tanked and he has gradually ceded playing time to others. Through 102 plate appearances this year, Rocchio is hitting .165/.235/.198. His .208 batting average on balls in play is quite low but hes also not hitting the ball with much authority. His average exit velocity, hard hit rate and barrel rate are no higher than the 11th percentile of qualified hitters, per Statcast. Ivan Rodriguez Jersey His 4.9% walk rate is le s than half of last years 10% clip. The defensive metrics have also soured on him, with OAA having him at league par and DRS at -3. In recent days and weeks, has been taking more of the shortstop time. He has a .264/.319/.416 line and 110 wRC+ on the year, with solid defense to boot. Presumably, he will take over as the regular shortstop now that Rocchio has been optioned. Arias and had previously been sharing second base, so perhaps Schneeman will get more playing time at the keystone as hes hitting .273/.356/.532 for a 154 wRC+ this year. and are on hand to step in to the middle infield, if needed, though Martnez is currently the clubs regular center fielder. For Rocchio, instead of sitting on the big league bench, he can get some regular playing time with Columbus as he tries to get out of his recent funk. Getting his offense back to a more acceptable level could put him in position to return to the majors when an opportunity arises. He is still young and its certainly po sible that there are better days ahead for him. How long he spends on this optional a signment could impact his financial position in the future. He came into 2025 with one year and 37 days of service time. That put him on track to qualify for arbitration after 2026 and free agency after 2029, though those timelines will no longer be po sible if he ends up spending several months down on the farm. He also has just one option season left, so hell be out of options next year if he spends at least 20 days in the minors this season. Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images Adrian Beltre Jersey