Top prospect informed he won’t make opening day roster, but heads to Columbus just a call away: Guardians takeaways

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Guardians informed four players Monday they will not make the opening day roster, including top prospect Travis Bazzana, but all will remain with the team through the end of spring training. Manager Stephen Vogt announced before Monday’s Cactus League night game against the Cubs at Goodyear Ballpark that Bazzana, Milan Tolentino, Pedro Avila, and Dom Nuñez were cut from the opening day roster. The quartet will stay in camp as the Guardians play two exhibition games in Phoenix next week before heading to Seattle to open the regular season. Bazzana, the organization’s top prospect, has hit .286 with an .833 OPS in 14 at-bats across five games this spring. He has one home run, four RBI, one walk, and four strikeouts. “I think I’ve seen him play six times now, and every time out, I get more and more impressed,” Vogt said. “We see more of his game, the base running, the defense. We know he can hit, but it just seemed like every time Travis was out there, we got to see a new element of his game.” Vogt told Bazzana he needs to continue developing with everyday at-bats. “We know this kid’s going to help us win a lot of games,” Vogt said. “But he needs to go play and get everyday at-bats and continue to develop.” Tolentino had one of the best camps of anybody on Cleveland’s roster, Vogt said. He entered Monday hitting .188 but had a 1.021 OPS in 16 at-bats with two home runs, six RBI, eight walks, and five strikeouts in his first full big league camp. “The growth that we saw just in one year from last spring to this spring (really stood out),” Vogt said. “Just a very mature approach at the plate. Barreling all kinds of pitches off lefties, off righties. The baserunning was tremendous, the defense was outstanding, and we know he can pretty much go anywhere on the field to play.” Vogt told Tolentino he’s “one phone call away” after putting himself in position to help the team. Nuñez, the fourth catcher in the organization’s depth chart, has hit .300 with a 1.400 OPS across 10 at-bats in eight Cactus League games. He has two home runs, four RBI, four walks, and four strikeouts. Vogt praised Nuñez’s impact beyond his on-field performance, saying nearly a dozen pitchers named him as someone who helped them develop last year during one-on-one interviews before camp. “He’s just a selfless teammate,” Vogt said. “There’s a lot of good baseball left in Dom Nuñez, and we know that and he knows that. Just the value that he brings as the teammate and as a person, and the knowledge that he’s able to instill in some of our players. Dom is a very valuable person.” Avila has pitched in six games and posted a 3.24 ERA across 8 1/3 innings with four strikeouts and one walk. “We’re just so pumped to have Pedro back,” Vogt said. “And he wanted to come back to Cleveland. He trusts us, he loves us here, and it’s reciprocated. We know Pedro is going to help us win some major league games at some point; it’s just unfortunately not going to be opening day.” Hunter Gaddis was scheduled to throw a bullpen session after being sidelined with right forearm tightness. Vogt said Gaddis is progressing day-to-day, with a resolution expected in the next week. Right-hander Andrew Walters has a live batting practice session coming up as he continues his recovery surgery to repair a torn latissimus dorsi muscle in June. Walters is throwing 120-150 feet in his bullpen progression. “Anytime pitcher coming off injury is getting back on the mound, that’s a good sign,” Vogt said. “Andrew’s progressing very well.”