Guardians' C.J. Kayfus: Sitting for regular-season finale
Rotowire
Kayfus is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.
Southpaw Patrick Corbin is on the hill for Texas, so Kayfus and fellow left-handed hitters Kyle Manzardo and George Valera will head to the bench. Jhonkensy Noel will fill in at first base for Kayfus.
Kayfus entered Saturday's game as a pinch hitter, stayed in to play first base and was hit by a pitch in a 3-2 win over Texas. He went 0-for-1 with an RBI.
Kayfus was the subject of an odd walk-off victory, when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded that scored the game-winning run and clinched the postseason for the Guardians. Cleveland's not done there; it can finish tops in the AL Central with a win Sunday or a Detroit loss. Kayfus has been a streaky hitter since his call-up in early August, but he's finishing the regular season on a high note with a .905 OPS, six doubles, two home runs and 11 RBI over 19 September games. The rookie should have a roster spot when the Guardians' postseason begins.
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Guardians' C.J. Kayfus: Doubles twice in loss
Rotowire
Kayfus went 2-for-2 with two doubles and an RBI in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Tigers.
Kayfus doubled in Cleveland's first run in the second inning and doubled again in his second plate appearance before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning. He's been productive during the Guardians' playoff push, going 11-for-34 (.324) with four doubles, two home runs, eight RBI, one steal and five runs scored over the last 12 contests. Kayfus holds down the strong side of a platoon in right field with occasional starts at first base.
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Guardians' C.J. Kayfus: Idle for Game 1
Rotowire
Kayfus isn't in the lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against Minnesota.
Kayfus snapped his five-game hitting streak with an 0-for-2 performance Friday, and he'll stay put in the dugout to begin Saturday's festivities. Kyle Manzardo will get the nod at first base, and George Valera will cover right field with Kayfus out.
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Guardians' C.J. Kayfus: Smacks two-run homer
Rotowire
Kayfus went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run during the Guardians' 3-1 win over the White Sox on Saturday.
Kayfus gave the Guardians the lead in the second inning with a long ball off Davis Martin. Kayfus has hit a home run in two consecutive outings and is up to four on the season. He has gone 7-for-23 (.304) with seven RBI and four doubles in nine games since Sept. 1.
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Guardians' C.J. Kayfus: Blasts go-ahead homer late
Rotowire
Kayfus went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 3-2 win over Kansas City.
Kayfus flipped the script in the bottom of the eighth inning when he launched a two-run, go-ahead homer 425 feet to center field. Up to the point, the Guardians offense put up little fight (three hits, one run) against Royals pitching. The home run was the first in 17 contests and third of the season for Kayfus, who's been on a bumpy road since late August. He entered the night batting .128 (5-for-39) with a .453 OPS over his previous 14 games.
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Guardians' C.J. Kayfus: Collects two doubles during win
Rotowire
Kayfus went 2-for-3 with two doubles, a sacrifice fly and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the Red Sox.
Kayfus recorded doubles in the second and sixth innings before adding a sac fly in the eighth to bring home Cleveland's final run. The performance was a welcome turnaround for the 23-year-old, who entered the contest batting just .100 with two RBI and 10 strikeouts over his previous 10 games. On the season, Kayfus is now slashing .203/.264/.380 with 10 RBI and 11 runs scored across 88 plate appearances.
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Guardians' C.J. Kayfus: Taking seat versus southpaw
Rotowire
Kayfus is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's contest in Boston.
It's southpaw Garrett Crochet toeing the slab for the Red Sox, so the left-handed-hitting Kayfus will grab a seat. Kyle Manzardo is at first base and Jhonkensy Noel is in right field as the Guardians look to even the series.
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Guardians' C.J. Kayfus: On bench against southpaw
Rotowire
Kayfus is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rays.
With the Guardians facing right-handed starters in each of the last four games, the left-handed-hitting Kayfus was included in the lineup for all of those contests and went a collective 2-for-13 with a walk and a pair of extra-base hits. The rookie appears to have established himself as a strong-side platoon player at this point, but he still has work to do before earning a regular lineup spot versus lefties. He'll cede his spot in right field to Nolan Jones on Monday as the Rays send southpaw Ian Seymour to the hill.
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Guardians' C.J. Kayfus: Pops homer in win
Rotowire
Kayfus went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Monday's 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks.
Kayfus went just 2-for-17 (.118) over six home games last week, adding one RBI while racking up six strikeouts. He also logged two steals in that span, but it'll be tough for him to make an impact with speed if he can't get on base more consistently. The homer was his second of the season, and he's now at a .239/.300/.435 slash line with seven RBI and eight runs scored through 50 plate appearances.
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Guardians' C.J. Kayfus: Scuffling after strong start
Rotowire
Kayfus went 1-for-4 in Saturday's 10-1 loss to Atlanta.
Kayfus, who got off to a strong start in the majors, has hit the skids of late. Over the last six games, the rookie has gone 2-for-18 (.111) with a 25.0 percent strikeout rate. Overall, Kayfus has struck out 14 times in 44 plate appearances (31.8 percent).
Guardians' C.J. Kayfus: Belts first major-league homer
Rotowire
Kayfus went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 3-1 win over the White Sox.
Kayfus extended the Guardians' lead to two runs in the sixth with a solo blast off Bryan Hudson. It was Kayfus' first major-league home run and fourth extra-base hit since being promoted from Triple-A Columbus on Aug. 2. He has gone 7-for-21 (.333) with five RBI and five runs through the first seven games of his major-league career.
Kayfus is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.
After getting called up from Triple-A Columbus on Saturday, the left-handed-hitting Kayfus picked up starts in right field and at designated hitter for the final two games of the weekend while the Twins sent a pair of right-handers to the hill. Though he went just 1-for-8 with a double, an RBI and a run between those two contests, Kayfus will likely get an extended look in Cleveland's everyday lineup versus righties. The rookie will need to earn his playing time against lefties, however, so it's not especially surprising that he'll be on the bench Monday while southpaw Sean Manaea toes the rubber for the Mets.
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Guardians' C.J. Kayfus: Promotion official
Rotowire
The Guardians selected Kayfus' contract from Triple-A Columbus on Saturday.
After turning in an .893 OPS through 289 plate appearances in Triple-A, the 23-year-old Kayfus will now reach the big leagues for the first time in his young career. Capable of fielding first base and the corner outfield positions, Kayfus will likely see most of his playing time in the outfield, replacing Daniel Schneemann as Cleveland's primary right fielder against right-handed starters. Johnathan Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
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Guardians' C.J. Kayfus: Earns RBI in debut
Rotowire
Kayfus went 0-for-4 with one RBI in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Twins.
Kayfus got the start in right field and earned his first major-league RBI on a groundout in the second inning. The 23-year-old looks to have a path to playing time in right field initially, but his performance will dictate if he's able to maintain an everyday role. Prior to his promotion, he batted .283 with an .893 OPS, 13 home runs, 43 RBI, 39 runs scored and two stolen bases over 68 games in his first taste of Triple-A action, so he looks more than ready to get an extended big-league audition.
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Guardians' C.J. Kayfus: Set for promotion
Rotowire
The Guardians are expected to select Kayfus' contract from Triple-A Columbus on Saturday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
Kayfus has spent time in Double-A and Triple-A this season, slashing .300/390/.539 with 14 homers, 54 RBI and 51 runs scored through 369 plate appearances between the two levels. Now due to reach the majors for the first time, the 23-year-old's clearest path to playing time in Cleveland would seem to be in right field as a replacement for Daniel Schneemann, though Kayfus can also cover left field and first base, if needed.
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Guardians' C.J. Kayfus: Avoids serious injury
Rotowire
Kayfus (knee) went 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored in Sunday's game against Triple-A Toledo.
Kayfus was removed from Thursday's matchup against Triple-A Columbus after suffering a bruised knee, but he was back in the lineup for Saturday's game. He appeared more comfortable at the dish Sunday and responded with a pair of base knocks.
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