The Cleveland Guardians have a surplus of middle infield prospects that needs playing time at the Big League level.
There's a massive elephant in the room with the Cleveland Guardians' organization. That is the number of middle infielders in the farm system. Fans have been questioning what the plan will be when they're all ready for the Majors but no clarity had been given.
That time has come and fans are still asking that question.
Let's take a roll call of all the young infielders Cleveland currently has on the roster.
Andres Gimenez will be in the team's future as a second baseman or shortstop as he signed a seven-year contract extension before the 2023 season began.
Then there is Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman who have been with the Big League team for a majority of the season playing a utility role. Brayan Rocchio received the full-time call-up after the trade deadline and has made the most compelling case to be Cleveland's shortstop moving forward.
That's already four players on the Big League team who should be playing every day. Unfortunately, there are only two positions, one could argue one, to go around.
The situation got even more complicated when the Guardians called up Jose Tena to make his Major League debut a couple of weeks ago. The 22-year-old had two hits in just eight at-bats before being sent back down but proved he's outplayed Minor League talent and is ready for the Big Leagues.
However, as long as the Major League roster stays constructed as it is, there's no room for Tena other than with the Clippers.
Further back in the organization, there are the likes of Angel Martinez (Triple-A), Juan Brito (Double-A), and Kahlil Watson (High-A) who are all outplaying their placement but are being blocked by one another at the next level.
It's easy to say that the Guardians held onto Amed Rosario for longer than they should have, but that doesn't change the predicament the Guardians have found themselves in.
Cleveland will continue to evaluate who appears part of the team's future and who is not for the rest of the season. But there will need to be a difficult discussion after this in order to help the Big League roster and make sure players continue to develop.
Tena proving he's ready for the Big Leagues more than confirms the logjam has reached Cleveland. This will make the Guardians' offseason moves one to keep a close eye on.
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