The Cleveland Guardians made more roster moves on Thursday with a notable prospect and a veteran pitcher.
As the Opening Day gets closer, the Cleveland Guardians continue to make decisions and to reduce their roster before the start of the season. The team made more roster moves on Thursday, involving a notable prospect and a veteran pitcher.
Juan Brito Optioned To Triple-A
The Guardians made the decision to option Juan Brito on Thursday, meaning he’ll start the 2026 season at Triple-A Columbus.
Brito ended up getting plenty of opportunities throughout Spring Training. In 13 games, the switch-hitter received 26 at-bats in which he logged a .154/.313/.269 slash line. Brito has always had a great eye at the Minor League level, but uncharacteristically struck out 11 times during Cactus League play, a similar trend
Now, Cleveland must officially solve the puzzle of where Brito will play at Triple-A. Even though he’s an intralateral second baseman, Travis Bazzana will likely receive everyday playing time on the right side of the infield. Brito has also played some first base and right field in his career.
Even though Brito is starting the season in the Minors, there’s nothing saying he won’t make it to the big-league level in 2026. In fact, an MLB debut this season is more likely than not for the 24-year-old. He owns a career Minor League OPS of .831.
The Guardians should be eager to see what Brito can eventually do at the big-league level, but that won’t happen at the start of the season after this latest roster move.
Feb 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians shortstop Juan Brito against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesTeavor Stephan Reassigned To Minor League Camp
Trevor Stephan was one of Cleveland’s go-to setup men, but he’s struggled to regain his form after missing the last two seasons with Tommy John surgery and rehabbing from the procedure.
The right-hander was outrighted to Columbus after being DFA’d in August and was with the Guardians' big-league camp, but was reassigned to Minor League camp on Thursday.
Stephan pitched in four innings for the Guardians in Cactus League action, allowing one earned run and three hits with five strikeouts in 3.1 innings.
There's still a chance that Stephan could, at some point, be back in Cleveland's bullpen, but he still has some work to do to get there.
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