Cleveland Guardians' Steven Kwan has shown improvement over the last few weeks, but is it sustainable?
Steven Kwan’s descent from an All-Star-caliber player and one of the best leadoff hitters in MLB to batting ninth in the Cleveland Guardians' lineup has been head-scratching.
Up to this point in the season, Kwan owns a .218/.325/.275 slash line with a career-low .243 BABIP (batting average on balls in play) with an average exit velocity of 83.1 mph.
“It's been a tough start to the year for him,” said Chris Antonetti over the weekend.
“I think we all have grown accustomed to seeing Steven be so consistent offensively and the way he's able to manage his own, put the ball in play consistently at productive angles to get on base and contribute offensively. That's just been tougher for him to do for the bulk of this year.
Despite the results, Cleveland remains “hopeful and encouraged” that Kwan can return to being a version of the star player he was in the second half of the 2026 season.
The Guardian executive continued, “He's worked really hard with Grant and our hitting coaches, and to try to find some level of consistency to be the offensive contributor we know he's capable of being.”
Jun 23, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cleveland Guardians center fielder Steven Kwan (38) gestures after hitting a double during the third inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn ImagesIs Cleveland’s hope that Kwan can turn it around after the All-Star Break wishful thinking?
Maybe not.
Kwan has shown brief flashes of getting back to being the hitter he once was, but none as long as the current stretch he’s in, and even Antonetti acknowledged this.
"I've been really encouraged by the last week or so, that's where he started to get back to some of the things that had made Steven successful in time," he said.
Going back to June 24, Kwan owns a .297/.366/.405 slash line with a 120 wRC+. That stretch included an eight-game hitting streak, which ended against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday evening.
There are a couple of other encouraging signs beneath these stats.
Kwan is back to doing what he does best: letting the ball get deep in the zone, then slapping it left field for a base hit. Over the last few weeks, 46 percent of his hits have gone the opposite way.
For context, that number was 32 and 30 percent during the last two seasons when Kwan was named an All-Star.
Because Kwan is taking the ball the other way more often, his BABIP has spiked to .324.
Cleveland can’t ignore that even during this stretch, Kwan’s exit velocity is still down. Plus, the 28-year-old has a troubling trend where his stats dip after the All-Star Break.
Still, Kwan’s numbers provide reason for encouragement, and that’s what the organization is focused on.
Guardians Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Guardians. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
