The Guardians optioned Watson to Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
Watson was in the middle of a modest six-game hitting streak, but on the whole he slashed just .239/.264/.341 with a 3:32 BB:K over his first 27 contests in the majors. With Watson back in the minors, Petey Halpin should continue to see an uptick in playing time.
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Guardians' Kahlil Watson: Sitting again Tuesday
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Watson is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Twins.
Following a run of 10 starts in 11 games, Watson finds himself on the bench Tuesday for a second consecutive contest. The 23-year-old has a .584 OPS in his first 26 big-league games, though he is currently in the midst of a modest five-game hit streak, during which he's gone 6-for-18 with two doubles, two steals, two RBI and a run scored. Petey Halpin is instead starting in center field Tuesday for Cleveland.
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Guardians' Kahlil Watson: Taking seat Monday
Rotowire
Watson is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Twins.
Watson had started 10 of the last 11 contests, and the one he didn't start during that stretch was the second leg of a doubleheader. He'll get a breather for Monday's series opener while Chase DeLauter handles right field and Rhys Hoskins is deployed at designated hitter.
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Guardians' Kahlil Watson: Ending twin bill on bench
Rotowire
Watson isn't in the lineup for the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against Pittsburgh.
Watson will get a chance to catch his breath after going 1-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts to begin the day. Steven Kwan, Petey Halpin and David Fry will form Cleveland's outfield trio with Watson on the bench.
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Guardians' Kahlil Watson: Threat on basepaths
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Watson went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Marlins.
Watson's bat has gone quiet of late, but the rookie made the most of the limited times he's reached base. The outfielder is 4-for-29 with one walk over his last eight contests but swiped six bases during that stretch. Watson, who stole 14 bases over 56 games at Triple-A Columbus before joining the Guardians, had double-digit steals over the previous four seasons in the minors.
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Guardians' Kahlil Watson: Delivers with RISP
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Watson went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Mariners.
Watson's fourth-inning double with runners at first and third base produced Cleveland's first run and extended his RBI streak to five games (7-for-16, eight RBI). In a small sample, the 23-year-old is 4-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Watson and fellow rookie Cooper Ingle are providing a boost to an offense that ranks 28th in runs and OPS.
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Guardians' Kahlil Watson: Hitting bench against lefty
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Watson is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.
Southpaw Anthony Kay is on the bump for the White Sox, so Watson will retreat to the bench along with fellow left-handed batters Daniel Schneemann and Steven Kwan. Since being called up from Triple-A Columbus last Wednesday, Watson has gone 0-for-12 with eight strikeouts while drawing starts in four of six games.
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Guardians' Kahlil Watson: Cut from major-league camp
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The Guardians optioned Watson to minor-league camp Monday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
Watson impressed at the plate this spring in going 6-for-14 with one stolen base and a 2:5 BB:K, but it wasn't enough to put him in play for an Opening Day roster spot. The 22-year-old made a full-time move to the outfield in 2025 and will again handle all three outfield spots at Triple-A Columbus.
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Guardians' Kahlil Watson: Selected to 40-man roster
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The Guardians selected Watson's contract from Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
Watson split the 2025 season between Double-A and Triple-A, slashing .250/.346/.467 with 16 homers, 61 RBI, 53 runs scored and 17 stolen bases over 429 plate appearances between the two levels. Now that he owns a place on Cleveland's 40-man roster, the 22-year-old outfielder is ineligible for the Rule 5 Draft and will most likely remain at Columbus for the start of the 2026 campaign.
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Guardians' Kahlil Watson: Dealt to Cleveland
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The Guardians acquired Watson and infielder Jean Segura from the Marlins on Tuesday in exchange for first baseman Josh Bell, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Extremely talented and toolsy, Watson has dealt with his share of attitude issues in pro ball, including a disciplinary-related suspension last season. Watson is batting .206/.337/.362 with seven home runs and 14 steals in 58 games at High-A Beloit this season. He doesn't turn 21 until April, so he still has time to turn things around, but it's a little telling that Miami was willing to sell low on him.
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Marlins' Kahlil Watson: Slumping at High-A
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Watson has a .673 OPS and a 30.3 percent strikeout rate over his last 20 games for High-A Beloit.
Watson, who had a memorable play when he stole home to tie a game in the bottom of the ninth inning earlier this month, left a game July 6 after one at-bat and has not played since. No injury has been reported, but it's possible he is dealing with a minor injury or is just getting a chance to clear his head.
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Marlins' Kahlil Watson: Back at Single-A
Rotowire
Watson is in the lineup for Single-A Jupiter on Friday.
Watson hit .273/.500/.727 with one home run, five walks and five strikeouts in five games in the Florida Complex League. He was disciplined by the team recently for an incident where he pointed his bat toward an umpire like a gun. Watson hit .221 with eight home runs and a 39.3 K% in 59 games at Single-A earlier this season.
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Marlins' Kahlil Watson: Whiffing at alarming rate
Rotowire
Watson is hitting .218/.264/.376 with six homers, nine steals and a 9:76 BB:K through 41 games for Single-A Jupiter.
Yes, you read that right -- he's struck out 76 times in 41 games and 178 plate appearances. That's a brutal 42.7 percent clip. Watson has been even worse recently, having whiffed 33 times in his last 69 at-bats over a span of 17 games; he's collected just 11 hits (10 singles and a double) in that span. A first-round pick last year, Watson is still only 19 and has plenty of time to get right in the minors, but his hot first few games of the year feel like a distant memory now.
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Marlins' Kahlil Watson: Slugs fourth homer of year
Rotowire
Watson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored for Low-A Jupiter in Thursday's game against Fort Myers.
The Marlins' top fantasy prospect has been locked in to begin the season, slashing .391/.440/1.043 through six games with seven of his nine hits (three doubles and four homers) going for extra bases. Watson's even 1-for-1 on stolen base attempts. The performance becomes even more impressive when you consider it's his first time in full-season ball, and he doesn't turn 19 until Saturday. Watson's 2:10 BB:K is cause for concern if it doesn't improve, but he did post an 8:7 mark in 42 plate appearances at rookie ball last year after being selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2021 Draft, so there is reason to think his plate discipline will improve. If he keeps raking, Watson will force a promotion to High-A over the summer in addition to racing up prospect rankings.
