What Guardians need to accomplish before October

This story was excerpted from Mandy Bell’s Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The champagne remains on ice, but it’s inevitable that it will soon be popped. The Guardians have put themselves in a safe position to at least clinch a playoff berth. Next, they will eye the division title.

But preparation for the postseason doesn’t just begin when the clubhouse gets covered in plastic to protect everyone’s belongings from a bubbly bath. The Guardians have already begun planning what their roster may look like for a potential ALDS or Wild Card Series, depending on where they finish in the standings. They know what decisions need to be sorted out. They know which players they need to see more of or need to get hot in the final days of the regular season.

• Complete coverage: Guardians’ clinch scenarios, tiebreakers, key games and more

So, what are the most important things to accomplish in the next 10 games?

Let’s take an updated look at the Guardians’ road-to-the-postseason checklist:

1. Get Kwan healthyThe Guardians should be thrilled with what they’ve gotten out of Angel Martínez in his last-minute callup to replace Steven Kwan in the leadoff spot in the middle of a division race. That’s a big ask for a rookie, and he’s been everything they could’ve asked for and more. Now, that doesn’t mean this team isn’t itching for Kwan to get back.

It doesn’t matter if Kwan has been scuffling or if he isn’t hitting .400 anymore. Kwan is a Gold Glove left fielder who carries his weight in his defensive ability, for one thing, let alone his skill as a leadoff hitter. Even when he’s not hitting as consistently, Kwan is usually able to work the count long enough for everyone behind him to get a good look at that night’s starting pitcher before even stepping into the box.

Prior to dealing with the back inflammation, Kwan started to draw more walks and pick up more base hits. Maybe this reset will help him rediscover the consistency he had from March through mid-June. Regardless, the Guardians need him to get a few more at-bats in the regular season before the calendar flips to October.

2. Figure out if Straw makes the cutWell, he didn’t have the best reintroduction to the Majors, but Myles Straw is back to be a threat on the bases and a late-game defensive replacement for the Guardians. That’s the plan for now, but will it remain through the playoffs?

Let’s assume the Guardians carry 13 pitchers on their playoff roster. That likely leaves four spots for outfielders. We know Kwan (assuming he’s healthy), Lane Thomas and Jhonkensy Noel will be there. The last spot could come down to Will Brennan and Straw.

Straw’s defense outweighs Brennan’s and he’s speedier, too. But Brennan’s bat is easier to trust than Straw’s, especially since Straw hasn’t seen Major League pitching yet this year. Will the Guardians prefer the versatile bench piece to Brennan? They need every one of these last 10 games to figure that out.

3. See more of WaltersWhat Cleveland has seen of righty reliever Andrew Walters thus far has been encouraging, but he has just four Major League games under his belt. Is that enough to throw him on a playoff roster? Probably. But the more experience he can get between now and then, the better.

4. Get Cobb backIt’s been a long road for Alex Cobb this year. Every time he’s on the cusp of being healthy, something pops up and gets in his way. This time, it’s another nagging blister on this throwing hand. The Guardians will probably send him on a rehab assignment to make one Triple-A start before coming back to the big league rotation. By then, he may only have enough time to make one more regular-season start. Even if he hasn’t had enough time this year to prove he’s worthy of starting a playoff game for Cleveland, the Guardians could use him as an option out of the bullpen in any series. They just need him to throw some more innings to be ready to go in whatever role he’s asked to be in.

5. Sort out the rotationTanner Bibee is the ace. Who gets the ball in Games 2 and 3? The Guardians probably have their ideas, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt if a starter would emerge as a hot hand to ride just before October baseball begins.