Guard DFA Estevan Florial

The Cleveland Guardians announced on Friday that outfielder Estevan Florial is scheduled to play. His place in Cleveland's active roster goes to outfielder Steven Kwan, who was removed from the 15-day injured list.

Acquired by the Yankees in December, Estevan Floral made Cleveland's opening-game roster, but has struggled to get going on offense. The 26-year-old outfielder has a .173/.264/.367 batting average with 11 RBIs in 36 games with the Guardians this season. Florial has shown his power with three home runs, six doubles and two triples, but his 36.9% strikeout rate is eye-popping. Strikeouts are nothing new for Florial, who has a career 33.5% strikeout rate in 84 major league games. His contact issues were a big reason the Yankees kept Florial in Triple-A for so long.

Our squad change of the day.#For the country pic.twitter.com/7cAcijrvrx

— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) May 31, 2024

Guardians appoint Florial to the mission and reinstate Kwan

With the Guardians activating Steven Kwan from the 10-day injured list, Kwan will take Florial's spot on the active roster. Kwan has sat out the last four weeks with a left hamstring strain sustained on May 4.

Before his injury, Kwan was one of the best hitters in the American League with a .353 batting average, three home runs and 11 RBIs. Whether Kwan can maintain that performance after a four-week break between major league at-bats remains to be seen. He will resume his role as the Guardians' first hitter in Friday's series opener against the Nationals.

Cleveland has the second-best record in the American League (17-7) at 37-19, while Kwan was on the injured list after a 20-12 start to the season.

“We couldn’t be happier to have Kwan back with us,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said before Friday's game. “He's worked hard. Credit to him, the team and everyone who got him back in shape quickly. You can't overstate what he means to us as a leadoff player.”

After bouncing between Triple-A and the Yankees' roster for three seasons, Florial is now out of minor league options. Estevan Florial has one week to get through the waivers before the Guardians can send him to the minor leagues. Since he was already outrighted once, Florial could decline the assignment and opt for free agency if he gets through the waivers.

Vogt said Florial had “a lot of potential, a lot of ability” and described him as a great person and an important part of the team, but the Guardians had to make the difficult decision to let him go.

Main photo credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports