Cooper Ingle could be part of the Cleveland Guardians' offensive solution.
Even before the Cleveland Guardians lost their top three hitters in Jose Ramirez, Chase DeLauter, and Angel Martinez to injuries, the offense was starting to show its holes and drawbacks.
Now, the team is looking for an offense anywhere they can get it. The Guardians already dipped down into the Minor Leagues for a potential spark by promoting No. 12-ranked prospect Kahlil Watson for his MLB debut.
However, the team shouldn’t stop there, and the next prospect the Guardians should call up should be clear: Cooper Ingle.
Ingle is currently ranked as the team’s No. 3 prospect, but his bat has looked like the best across Cleveland’s entire organization so far this season.
The left-handed hitter owns a .304/.436/.590 slash line with a wRC+ of 165. Ingle isn’t just hitting the ball; he’s hitting it hard with an average exit velocity of 89.3 percent and a hard-hit rate of 48.3 percent.
Ingle also showed strong plate discipline throughout the 2026 season. He has a walk rate of 18.8 percent (98th percentile), a strikeout rate of 22.3 percent, and a whiff rate of just 19 percent (96th percentile).
The best time to bring a Minor Leaguer up is when they’re swinging a hot bat, and considering Ingle is fresh off a three-home run game with a double on Thursday afternoon, his offense looks like it’s peaking at Triple-A.
With offensive numbers that good, and Cleveland’s team's .685 OPS, what’s taking so long for the Guardians to bring him up?
It might have to do with the defensive fit and finding playing time for Ingle.
The prospect has been a catcher for essentially his entire Minor League career, and the Guardians already have three backstops at the big-league level in Austin Hedges, David Fry, and Patrick Bailey. Plus, given Cleveland’s preference for defensive-minded catchers, that wouldn’t help Ingle in a case for playing time either.
Feb 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians catcher Cooper Ingle (70) looks on from the dugout against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Fields of Phoenix. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesChris Antonetti did mention late last month that Ingle, along with other prospects like Ralphy Velazquez, will continue to get opportunities at other defensive positions so they’re prepared for a potential
With that in mind, Ingle has only played four games in left field.
However, with where Cleveland’s offense is at, and all the injuries, the Guardians might need to sacrifice some run prevention for run creating, and bringing in Ingle would certainly help with that.
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.
