The Cleveland Guardians share who will be in the starting lineup for the 2026 Home Opener against the Chicago Cubs.
After a long, cold, and dark winter, baseball is back at Progressive Field!
For the first time since last October, the Cleveland Guardians are home on the shores of Lake Erie and will take on the Chicago Cubs for the 2026 Home Opener.
A few hours before the first pitch, the Guardians announced what the team's starting lineup would be for their first home game of the 2026 MLB season.
Guardians Starting Lineup for the Home Opener
- Steven Kwan - LF
- Chase DeLauter - DH
- Jose Ramirez - 3B
- Kyle Manzardo - 1B
- Bo Naylor - C
- Angel Martinez - RF
- Daniel Schneemann - CF
- Gabriel Arias - SS
- Brayan Rocchio - 2B
- Joey Cantillo - SP
Sep 30, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt greets players while being introduced before game one of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn ImagesStarting with arguably the biggest takeaway from this lineup, the Chase DeLuater is back in the lineup after he exited Tuesday night’s game after fouling a pitch off hit foot.
Stephen Vogt said after the game that DeLauter’s x-rays came back negative, and Wednesday was already a planned off day for DeLauter.
The rookie sensation was not in the starting lineup for Cleveland’s series-clinching victory on Wednesday.
Staying on the injury front, Angel Martinez is also back in the lineup after being hit in the back knee in consecutive games.
Martinez stayed in the game, albeit in a lot of pain after Wednesday’s hit by pitch, but Vogt said they would still monitor him.
Martinez is also off to an impressive start to the season at the plate. His overall stats don’t do it justice, but Martinez he’s underlying stats are really standing at.
Fifteen at-bats into the year, Martinez had an average exit velocity of just over 90 mph, which is higher than it was a year ago.
Stephen Vogt said ahead of the opener that both DeLauter and Martinez have made significant contributions and credited the medical staff for getting them back on the field for Friday's game.
Finally, one of the biggest storyline of the spring was that Steven Kwan had started to take more reps in center field.
His first start up the middle of the outfield at Progressive Field will have to wait, as Kwan is starting in left field today, with Schneemann playing center.
Hopefully, this first home lineup of the 2026 season will also produce the first home win of the 2026 season for the Guardians, too.
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