Guardians All-Star left fielder Steven Kwan was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday due to mid-back inflammation, which may have affected his performance in the second half of the season.
To fill his spot, the team called up outfielder Myles Straw from Triple-A Columbus before losing 4-1 to the Twins. Pitcher Carlos Carrasco was also designated for assignment.
Kwan has missed the last five games due to his injury, and the move is retroactive to September 14.
Manager Stephen Vogt was expected to give an update on Kwan’s return before the game against Minnesota, but he only said Kwan was “day to day.” This changed about 90 minutes before the game started.
Kwan has been struggling at the plate lately. He led MLB with a .352 batting average at the All-Star break, but he has dropped to .201 in the second half of the season. He also missed most of May because of a hamstring injury.
Straw is returning to the Guardians after being designated for assignment at the end of spring training. He had been the team’s regular center fielder for over two seasons and won a Gold Glove in 2022.
Straw has faced challenges with his hitting. He had a .238 average last season with one home run, 29 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases, so the Guardians were looking for better performance. The 29-year-old was acquired from Houston during the trade deadline in 2021.
Carrasco was in his second stint with the Guardians after signing as a free agent in February. The 37-year-old had previously spent three seasons with the New York Mets after being traded in the Francisco Lindor deal.
