Straw’s 1st game back short-lived after he replaces Kwan on roster

CLEVELAND — Myles Straw was summoned twice Tuesday — first to the roster to replace an injured Steven Kwan, then to the basepaths to pinch-run for Kyle Manzardo in a key spot in the seventh inning.

The latter stint lasted seconds. Straw was picked off first base about as quickly as he had arrived. It was a big out in what turned out to be a 4-1 loss to the Twins at Progressive Field and the perfect example of a “That Can’t Happen” baseball moment.

“I knew I was [off the bag] pretty good,” Straw said. “Sure enough, I think [Twins reliever Ronny Henriquez] might have flinched a little bit and gotten me to take a little half-step towards second. And then it was just too late.”

Straw’s gaffe was one of many frustrations for Cleveland on this night. The Twins scored all their runs off starter Gavin Williams and reliever Nick Sandlin with two out, and the Guards loaded the bases in the ninth, only for Bo Naylor to ground into the final out on Griffin Jax’s first pitch.

But with the Royals’ 3-1, extra-innings loss to the Tigers, the Guards remain five games up on second-place Kansas City in the AL Central. Their magic number to clinch the division is now six.

So, more meaningful than this particular defeat were the moves that preceded it. With Kwan still battling a back issue, Straw took Kwan’s active roster spot and Carlos Carrasco‘s 40-man spot.

Here’s a rundown of each of those moves and what they mean:

Kwan’s absenceScratched from the lineup shortly before Friday’s game against the Rays, Kwan remains day to day with mid-back inflammation. The Guardians weren’t comfortable continuing to play short-handed, so Kwan was placed on the IL, retroactive to Sept. 14.

“We’re not really sure when he’s going to be ready,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “So we want to make sure that this thing’s 100% cleared out.”

Despite flirting with .400 early in the season and earning his first All-Star selection, Kwan batted just .188 from the start of the second half through Sept. 7. But he had a 5-for-13 showing in the four games just prior to getting scratched.

The Guards’ .297 on-base percentage from the leadoff spot in the second half ranks 25th among the 30 MLB teams. So this is where the recently recalled Angel Martínez becomes all the more interesting. The rookie has batted leadoff in all four games since coming back from Columbus and reached base safely in nine of his 16 plate appearances. Tuesday’s two-hit night marked his third straight multi-hit game.

“You watch him run the bases, you watch him take his at-bats, you watch him go play defense, no matter where we throw him, and he’s not scared,” Vogt said of Martínez.

Straw’s returnThe 29-year-old Straw signed a five-year, $25 million extension with Cleveland at the start of the 2022 season, only to put up a .229/.296/.284 over the course of 2022-23. That dismal performance led to Straw getting designated at the end of Spring Training camp this year.

Though Straw hasn’t fared much better at the plate with the Clippers (.650 OPS) than he had with the Guardians, he did have 30 steals in 31 attempts, and his glove remains a major plus.

“Just knowing the times to go,” Straw said of his steals success in the Minors. “Just being smart and talking to [Columbus bench coach and former big leaguer] Daniel Robertson down there… He just said, ‘Be aggressive, and that’s all you can do.’”

As we saw Tuesday, being aggressive doesn’t always work. But the Guardians are still hopeful Straw can give them a boost of speed off the bench down the stretch and potentially in the playoffs.

Cookie cutMaking room for Straw meant parting ways with Carrasco, a fan and organizational favorite who first pitched for the club from 2009-2020, winning 88 games, valiantly battling leukemia and winning the 2019 Roberto Clemente Award.

Carrasco, affectionately known as “Cookie,” spent three seasons with the Mets after he was included in the blockbuster trade that sent shortstop Francisco Lindor to New York. He returned to Cleveland on a Minor League contract this year and, because of injury issues in the rotation, wound up serving a more prominent role on the club than anticipated.

The 37-year-old Carrasco made 21 starts and went 3-10 with a 5.64 ERA before hitting the injured list with a hip strain in early August.

Vogt said Carrasco took the bad news “like a true professional.”

“He was so grateful to come back this year,” Vogt said. “We wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for Carlos in the starts that he gave us. … What Carlos means to this club and to this clubhouse and this city will live on forever.”