Despite some early defensive struggles, Stephen Vogt still had confidence in Cleveland Guardians second baseman Juan Brito.
The Cleveland Guardians have been high on Juan Brito for the last few years for his offensive profile: a switch-hitter who has a contact rate and can also hit for power.
The thing is, Brito has never truly been a great defender, which is one of the reasons why he moved around the diamond so much in the Minor Leagues.
That drawback has been on full display so far during Brito's first MLB stint. He's appeared in 14 games at second base and has already made three errors, with a negative one outs above average and a negative one fielding value.
Brito misplayed a ball back during Cleveland's series against the St. Louis Cardinals, which led to a loss for the Guardians, and again appeared to miss a ball in Sunday's loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, which led to runs for the opposition.
It's unfair to put all the blame on Brito in these losses for Cleveland, but his defense to start his MLB career has definitely stood out, and not in a good way.
After Sunday's loss, Stephen Vogt talked about what he's seen from Brito in the field so far.
"He's continuing to work," said Cleveland's skipper.
"[Rouglas Odor] got him out there early, and, this turf maybe hops a little different, but we got to be better. We got to catch the ball, and we're going to continue to work defensively. We need to get better. That's clear, and we're going to do that."
Despite some of the struggles, Vogt still has confidence in Brito.
"He's going to be playing out there again tomorrow," Cleveland's skipper said. "He's here to play second base for us. Some couple good at bats today. We just got to continue to help him develop defensively and help him to work."
Apr 25, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) is safe at second base ahead of the tag from Cleveland Guardians second baseman Juan Brito (34) during the sixth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn ImagesOn the single by Dalton Varsho that allowed the Blue Jays to take the lead, Vogt said he couldn't speak to whether or not it was a play that should've been made.
"I wasn't out there to field it, but we need to make every play that we can, and we're going to continue to work," continued Cleveland's skipper.
It'll be interesting to see what Brito's future looks like with the Guardians, especially if he still struggles on the defensive end. Cleveland holds a lot of value in run prevention, and that just simply isn't one of Brito's strengths, and it never has.
Once Travis Bazzana's time is ready, he'll get the majority of reps at second base.
Does that mean Brito will spend more time in the outfield or first base, two other positions he's played in the Minors, or will the Guardians go to see him get more work in at Triple-A?
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