Much has been made during the 2026 ALCS on all the players the Cleveland Guardians have traded to the Tampa Bay Rays — Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz, but even former Cleveland player Richie Palacios, as well — three guys who will start Game 6 on Monday night.
It should’ve worked both ways, though. There could’ve been a discussion during this series about Kyle Manzardo, who went in the reverse direction in a deal.
Manzardo, though, isn’t on the field in this series. He pretty much vanished in the second half of the year.
No, he’s not missing — but he is missing in action for a Guardians team that could use all the thump that its lineup could get.
Where is Kyle Manzardo?
Manzardo got his last MLB action on Aug. 2.
The Guardians traded for Nathaniel Lowe at the trade deadline, and that pretty much ended Manzardo’s chance of contributing at the MLB level the rest of the way.
The season was a struggle for Manzardo who had the worst numbers of his MLB career pretty much across the board. Through 102 games, he had hit .215 with a .684 OPS and 114 strikeouts. Manzardo had 10 doubles and 13 home runs with 39 RBI.
He was a bit below league average (93 OPS+ with 100 being league average), and given that he isn’t a key defensive player, he was replaceable.
The Guardians sent him down to Triple-A Columbus, and that’s where he finished the year. Manzardo played 37 games with the Clippers and hit .283 with 12 doubles, five homers, 35 RBI and an .820 OPS.
Manzardo’s swings in the minor leagues proved he can still hit the baseball, but there’s a big difference between Triple-A pitching and major league pitching. And at least for this season, Manzardo stopped being in the Guardians’ plans.
Kyle Manzardo Trade
Manzardo was a pretty promising Rays prospect when the Guardians got him included in a trade midway through the 2023 season.
Tampa Bay wanted another pitcher for their MLB roster, and Cleveland was happy to send them Aaron Civale in exchange for a player who was close to the major leagues but hadn’t yet made it.
Early on, Manzardo showed pop and consistency that suggested he’d be around for the long haul. That’s part of what makes his absence in these playoffs particularly surprising — he never seemed like the type of player who would just fall off and disappear.
But the Guardians are trying to beat the Rays, and their brigade of former Cleveland players, without the one main Tampa Bay player who could be playing for the Guardians, Manzardo.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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