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Guardians 'desperately' need this slumping star to turn things around originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Unsurprisingly, the Cleveland Guardians are sitting near the top of the AL Central. Many analysts tagged them as one of the teams to beat in the division.
But it is a surprise who is right there with them, and that's the Chicago White Sox. The South Siders actually hold a slightly better winning percentage going into Wednesday's games.
So, the pressure is on Cleveland to keep the White Sox in their sights. However, they will be without a big piece of their offense as Jose Ramirez broke his hamate bone, requiring surgery that will keep him on the shelf for six weeks at least.
MORE: Guardians get bad 'overpay' trade update on .945 OPS Red Sox first baseman
Guardians 'desperately' need this slumping star to turn things around
There's no arguing, the Guardians need someone to step up and help this offense shine without Ramirez. And many are pointing to Steven Kwan, who has not been himself this year.
Kwan is struggling at the plate, limited to just a .211 batting average across 275 plate appearances so far.
His contract metrics have declined significantly this year, and these issues could stem from the neck issue that plagued him earlier in the season, though neither he nor the team has said so.
Either way, he's not operating as he should, and that has forced Bleacher Report's Kerry Killer to tag him as the "most scrutinized" player on the Guardians' roster.
"At this point in the 2024 campaign, Kwan was flirting with a .400 batting average. Last year, he was batting north of .300 into late June. However, he is not generating hits at anywhere near his usual rate. And with Jose Ramirez out of commission for the foreseeable future, the Guardians desperately need their two-time All-Star to start pulling his weight again."
If Kwan can find his magic again, it would be a huge relief for a team missing their star slugger, but with a collapsed average exit velocity this year, that may be too big of an ask.
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