The Cleveland Guardians and their skipper have overcome hardship before. Can they do it again?
Stephen Vogt is in his third year as the Cleveland Guardians manager, and he said after Saturday’s chaotic win over the Detroit Tigers that it was the “most I’ve sped up” as a skipper, amid the several injuries
Over the last few days, the fallout from that game has only gotten worse. Both Jose Ramirez and Angel Martinez are on the injured list and expected to miss over a month. Chase DeLauter is considered day-to-day with a fractured rib, and an IL stint isn’t out of the picture for him, too.
Cleveland is facing quite a bit of adversity with their top three hitters being injured, but it’s not like this group or the skipper hasn’t faced hardship before.
Going back to 2024, Vogt’s rookie season as manager, the team lost its ace, Shane Bieber, to Tommy John surgery just a week and a half into the season.
The Guardians rallied around that, and ended up winning the division and going all the way to the ALCS with a pieced-together rotation and a lethal bullpen.
Then, in 2025, Cleveland lost a member of their rotation, and their superstar closer, Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase, as they were placed on administrative leave amid a gambling investigation.
The Guardians erased a 10.5 lead in the division during the final month of the season to come back and win the American League Central, despite no longer having two mainstays in their rotation.
May 24, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) walks to the pond against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn ImagesThere’s a reason that Vogt has won Manager of the Year in consecutive seasons. It’s because of how he handled these situations and kept the locker room intact and confident, with plenty of reasons to go in the opposite direction.
Now, Vogt and the Guardians face another difficult task: keeping the team on track with Ramirez and Martinez sidelined, and, at the very least, limited in the case of DeLauter.
Vogt’s message to the team on Sunday, in the face of adversity, was just how tenacious this group is.
“This group is so resilient,” said Cleveland’s skipper earlier in the week. “We know the hit of not having Jose for the next little bit. But it's other guys' opportunity to step up.”
The Guardians have overcome adversity before.
Can they do it again?
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