The Cleveland Guardians may have lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, but Gabriel Arias picked up right where he left off before the hamstring injury.
It could end up being a long six weeks for the Cleveland Guardians with both Jose Ramirez and Angel Martinez on the injured list for the foreseeable future.
With two of Cleveland’s top hitters out of the lineup, the Guardians are going to need players to step up and look for individual bright spots on an in-game basis for the team to survive the next month and a half.
One encouraging sign on that front was Gabriel Arias on Tuesday evening, despite Cleveland’s 2-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Manager Stephen Vogt admitted on Sunday that Arias hadn’t been worked up to play nine full innings yet, so how the Guardians managed to fit him in, and what type of production he could bring, remained unknown.
That said, in his first game off the injured list, Arias went 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI base hit. In many ways, he picked up right where he left off before suffering the hamstring injury in early April.
Arias’ game-tying single was a base hit, a line drive that went the opposite way to right field, which is a great sign that he’s locked in at the plate.
Jun 16, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Gabriel Arias (13) drives in s run with a single in the seventh inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn ImagesThis impressive performance shouldn’t come as too big a surprise, considering Arias was swinging a hot bat during his rehab assignment over the last two weeks. He hit three home runs in 15 at-bats during his short Triple-A stint.
Unfortunately for Arias and the Guardians, Cleveland just couldn’t seem to get the big hit to score more runs. The Guardians went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position against the Brewers.
Arias understands his role with the team while Ramirez is sidelined.
“I was already in the rehab, trying to come back to the team, and I understood I have to help the team in different ways,” said Arias through his interpreter, Auggie Rivero. “We need to help find the way, but there's no extra pressure for anybody.”
If Arias continues to hit the way he did before the injury, during his rehab assignment, and in his first game back, Cleveland’s lineup will at least be in a better spot with him swinging a hot bat.
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