Guardians receive positive injury update on Steven Kwan

Guardians fans received a positive update on Sunday regarding the status of injured outfielder Steven Kwan. President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told reporters (including Mandy Bell of MLB.com) Sunday morning that the club is hoping Kwan can begin a rehab assignment within the next 7-10 days. 

The 26-year-old was placed on the 10-day IL earlier this month due to what was described as an “acute” hamstring strain and was initially expected to miss around a month of action.

Now two weeks out from his initial diagnosis, it appears that Kwan remains on pace to meet that timeline. It’s an encouraging update, particularly given the fact that manager Steven Vogt indicated to reporters (per the Associated Press) on Friday that while Kwan had resumed baseball activities and was running “relatively pain-free,” there was still no clear timetable for his return to the majors. Sunday’s addendum provides a bit more clarity regarding the status of the third-year outfielder.

Cleveland figures to be particularly antsy for Kwan to return to action given the incredible start he was off to at the time of his injury. In 145 trips to the plate with the Guardians this season, Kwan has slashed an incredible .353/.407/.496 with three home runs, six doubles and two triples. 

That home run total is particularly impressive given the fact that Kwan’s career-high homer total is just six, a figure he achieved throughout 638 plate appearances during his rookie season. Estevan Florial has handled left field in Kwan’s absence but is hitting a mediocre .189/.263/.400 in 32 games this season.

Kwan isn’t the only outfielder making progress in his recovery from injury, as Bell also notes that top outfield prospect Chase DeLauter has resumed baseball activities. 

The club’s first-round pick in the 2022 draft, DeLauter entered the 2024 season as a consensus top-30 prospect in the game but suffered a fractured fifth metatarsal in his left foot earlier this month. 

There was some initial concern at the time of the injury that surgery would be required, as it was when DeLauter previously suffered a fractured foot during the 2022-23 offseason.

Fortunately, that did not come to pass and it appears that DeLauter is already making excellent progress toward a return to action as Bell notes that he’s currently hitting on the field, though he hasn’t yet begun a running progression. 

DeLauter was off to a tough start at Double-A this year before this injury, having slashed just .197/.296/.295 in 16 games. Even so, it’s not hard to imagine the youngster taking off and reaching Triple-A before the end of the year if he hits the ground running upon his return to action, a timeline that could potentially put him on the big league radar for 2025 or perhaps even a September call-up.

Also making progress toward a return is right-hander Gavin Williams, who according to MLB.com’s Injury Tracker, threw a 50-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday and was scheduled to throw again on Friday. 

The 24-year-old has not yet pitched in the majors this season after opening the season on the 60-day IL due to discomfort in his right elbow but appears to be making good progress in his rehab and could be an option for Cleveland sometime next month. 

Williams’ return would provide a major boost to the Guardians, who have seen both Logan Allen and Carlos Carrasco struggle during their time in the rotation this year. Williams, meanwhile, pitched to a sterling 3.29 ERA with a 4.09 FIP in 16 starts for the club during his rookie season last year.