Last season for the Cleveland Guardians Oscar Gonzalez made his debut. Gonzalez would go on to have a solid regular season. Finally came the playoffs. Gonzales would get his time to shine as he hit a walk-off home run off Corey Kluber to send the Guards to the ALDS. Just a week later he would deliver again in Game 3 of the American League Divisional Series. Oscar would walk it off again giving Cleveland a 2-1 series lead.
What Happened to Gonzalez?
At the time it was very hard to imagine this team without Gonzalez, but a month into the 2023 season he was sent back down to triple-A Columbus. Cleveland sent him down for a number of reasons. For starters, they wanted him to get daily at-bats and consistent playing time. With the success of Will Brennan, those are things Oscar could not get with the Guardians. They also needed Oscar to work on his swing as he was chasing far too many pitches outside of the zone.
The plan was to send Gonzalez down and then call him back up when he was getting hot. Now, with Oscar going 5-5 and hitting for the cycle is it time for the Guards to give their 2022 playoff hero another shot in the Majors? If going 5-5 and hitting for the cycle is not considered “heating up” what is?
Gozalez’s Struggles
According to SportsIllustrated.com, Gonzalez was hitting .192 with the Cleveland Guardians in 2023. That is far from his .296 during his rookie season. It was clear that a change in scenery was needed for the young man. Oscar is currently hitting .269 in Columbus. He also has 36 RBIs. That is three more than he had last season in Triple-A in one more game. However, the strikeouts have only gone up. One of the main reasons he was sent down was his strikeout percentage and his whiff rate. 23% is Oscar Gonzalez’s current strikeout percentage.
Gonzalez has proven that he deserves another chance in the show. Bringing him up while sending down Freeman or Arias may be worth a try for a week or two. The Cleveland Guardians are in desperate need of another consistent hitter and Gonzalez may be able to fill that role. As of right now, there have not been any talks about his return to the club, but anything can happen. Only time will tell if Oscar Gonzalez will get his second chance or not.
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