The Guardians placed Gabriel Arias on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain on April 6 and recalled Juan Brito from Triple-A Columbus, setting up the 24-year-old switch-hitter to make his major league debut against the Royals.
Brito is scheduled to start at second base and bat sixth on April 6. Arias left the previous game early with hamstring tightness and went for an MRI. He had started at shortstop in 10 of Cleveland’s first 11 games in 2026 before the injury forced the club to shift course.
The move gives the Guardians another look at a prospect they have waited on for years. Brito is generally regarded as one of their top 20 prospects, with pre-season rankings ranging from No. 9 by one evaluator to No. 32 by another. MLB Pipeline had him at No. 16, Baseball America at No. 15 and Baseball Prospectus at No. 14 entering the season. He missed most of 2025 with injuries, but still put up an.811 OPS with 24 home runs and a 13.9% walk rate across 182 Triple-A games.
The injury also reshapes the middle of Cleveland’s infield. Brayan Rocchio is likely to take over at shortstop for Arias, who has a career.632 OPS and 76 wRC+ in 330 games but has provided plus defense at the position, with 2 DRS and 7 OAA in 1,484 innings. Rocchio, 25, has a career.622 OPS and 78 wRC+ in 292 games, though he was a Gold Glove finalist at shortstop in 2024 and posted 11 DRS and 5 OAA in 1,102 innings that season.
Daniel Schneemann and Angel Martínez can also handle second base if needed, while Travis Bazzana will remain at Triple-A Columbus for now. For the Guardians, the immediate answer is Brito, a player they had not yet used in the majors until this injury opened the door. The next question is whether he can turn a one-game call-up into a longer stay.
