The Guardians announced a roster move ahead of Game 2 of the ALDS this afternoon: Angel MartÃnez will sub in for Tyler Freeman, who has been removed from the roster after suffering a left oblique strain. According to Mandy Bell of MLB.com, Freeman hurt his oblique while playing in a simulated game. Major League Baseball has already approved the substitution.
Freeman, 25, appeared in 118 games for the Guardians this season. A converted infielder, he saw most of his playing time in center field but also took reps at second base, third base, shortstop and DH. In addition, he was a regular pinch-hitter and pinch-runner for manager Stephen Vogt. While he wasn’t particularly productive in any aspect of the game, his speed, contact skills and defensive versatility helped him earn playing time throughout the year. However, he did not appear in Game 1 of the ALDS, and he is now ineligible to return until the World Series, should Cleveland advance that far.
MartÃnez, 22, made his big-league debut in June but struggled to stick on the Guardians’ roster. However, he hit well in 55 games at Triple-A this year, producing an .812 OPS and 111 wRC+. Indeed, he was so red-hot at Triple-A to start September (182 wRC+ in 10 games) that he bumped Freeman off the active roster. Unfortunately for MartÃnez, he just could not find the same success against MLB pitching, going 9-for-41 (.220) with a .517 OPS and a 51 wRC+ over 12 games after his latest promotion. That likely explains why the Guardians went back to Freeman in favor of MartÃnez on the ALDS roster in the first place. With Freeman on the shelf, Cleveland will turn back to MartÃnez to fill the role of the athletic backup outfielder/pinch-runner/utility man off the bench.