There could be a track for Stuart Fairchild to break camp on the Cleveland Guardians' MLB roster.
The Cleveland Guardians' biggest offseason on the offensive side is a move that never made major headlines, and some fans around Cleveland may have missed it, too.
At the end of December, the Guardians signed Stuart Fairchild to a Minor League contract with a non-roster invite to Major League training camp this spring.
While there are no guarantees that Fairchild ever reaches the Majors this year, there actually could be a path for the veteran outfielder to not only appear on the Guardians’ roster, but also make the team out of spring training.
Fairchild Is Injury Insurance For Guardians Outfield
Injuries are unfortunately a commonality in Cleveland’s outfield, with Steven Kwan, Chase DeLauter, and George Valera all having extensive injury histories. If one of them goes down during training camp and is not ready for opening day, Fairchild could easily see himself on the Opening Day roster.
This isn’t to say that Fairchild would be a starter, but he’s still a veteran with the plently of experience at multiple outfield positions. If Cleveland is searching for depth after a player landing on the injured list, Fairchild’s addition would make a ton of sense.
Jun 29, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, Atlanta Braves right fielder Stuart Fairchild (17) catches the ball for an out during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn ImagesFairchild is a Much-Needed Right-Handed Bat
The Guardians’ need for a right-handed bat was well documented all offseason. Cleveland is heading into spring training with only four pure righties on the 40-man roster: Austin Hedges, Jonathan Rodriguez, David Fry, and Gabriel Arias.
Fairchild would help balance out Cleveland’s lineup and would give the Guardians another option against left-handed pitching. The veteran owns a career .746 OPS off southpaws.
If Fairchild’s bat is hot during Cactus League action, while some of the other younger hitters struggle, the Guardians could look to ride that wave into Opening Day.
With how much Chris Antonetti has stressed that the team wants to give the young players opportunities, Fairchild will need to do a lot to prove to the team that he deserves an Opening Day roster spot.
That said, it’s not unreasonable to think that there’s a chance he breaks camp and heads with Cleveland to Seattle for the first series of the season.
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