If Opening Day were today, Angel Martinez would be on the Cleveland Guardians' roster.
There may still be three weeks before the Cleveland Guardians depart from Goodyear to head out to Washington to take on the Seattle Mariners for the first series of the 2026 season, but some players are starting to separate themselves in camp.
One of those players who continues to turn heads is outfielder Angel Martinez, who is having the best Spring Training of his career.
Marintez is making the most of all of his opportunities in camp, and currently owns a 1.589 OPS, including four doubles and two home runs in Cactus League play.
The Guardians can’t ignore what Martinez is currently doing, and if he keeps hitting the ball like this, he’ll earn a spot on Cleveland’s Opening Day roster.
Plus, there is definitely a spot and a need for someone like Martinez on the 26-man roster, as long as he keeps hitting at a high level. Cleveland’s surplus of left-handed hitters and struggles against left-handed pitching are no secret, and Martinez can help with that.
The switch-hitter has always hit southpaws well. In 2025, Martinez had a .279/.349/.442 slash line with five home runs in 169 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers.
May 19, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Cleveland Guardians second baseman Angel Martinez (1) hits a single against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn ImagesPlus, Martinez’s versatility in the field wouldn’t hinder or take away opportunities from other players on the roster. The Guardians plan to give him work at all three outfielder positions during Spring Training, and he played both shortstop and second base at the big-league level last season.
Martinez made his big-league debut with the Guardians back during the 2024 season. Since then, he has owned a career OPS of .628 in 597 career at-bats. Cleveland has seen some glimpses of Martinez being a viable big-league player, but with plenty of growing pains, too.
The key thing to remember in all of this is that Martinez is still just 24-years-old, and Stephen Vogt noted that he came into camp with more muscle than in past years.
For reference, Martinez is the same age as Chase DeLauter and CJ Kayfus, and one year younger than George Valera, who are players in Cleveland’s young core that the front office is excited to give opportunities to in 2026.
Again, there’s still a long way to go before the Guardians must finalize their roster, but Martinez is certainly making it hard for Cleveland to leave him off the roster right now.
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