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: 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: 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: 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.
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Guardians' C.J. Kayfus: Hitting bench Monday
Rotowire
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: 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: Removed with knee contusion
Rotowire
Kayfus was removed from Thursday's game with Triple-A Columbus due to a knee contusion, SI.com reports.
Kayfus suffered the injury in a rundown early in Thursday's game and left immediately. Despite the scare, his exit was deemed precautionary, and he appears to have avoided a serious issue. Kayfus has had an impressive year, hitting .295/.384/.565 across 224 plate appearances and could be ready for his big-league debut at some point this summer.
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Guardians' C.J. Kayfus: Knocking on MLB door
Rotowire
Kayfus is batting .318/.386/.583 with 22 extra-base hits, 22 RBI and 20 runs scored over 40 games for Triple-A Columbus.
Kayfus has rocked two minor-league levels in 2025. He lasted just three weeks at Double-A Akron -- where he slashed .364/.475/.591 over 18 games -- before a promotion to the Clippers at the end of April. His primary position is first base, but the organization has him learning corner outfield. He's appeared in seven games (six starts) in left field and 17 (14 starts) in right. While he's currently blocked at first base by Carlos Santana and Kyle Manzardo, the Guardians are getting sub-par production in right field, which could be an option for Kayfus.
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Guardians' C.J. Kayfus: Moves up to Double-A
Rotowire
The Guardians promoted Kayfus from High-A Lake County to Double-A Akron on Monday.
A third-round pick last summer, Kayfus has been unfazed by the competition at Single-A and High-A thus far during his professional career. After posting a .971 OPS in 17 games with Single-A Lynchburg in 2023, Kayfus was even more impressive with Lake County this season, slashing .338/.437/.578 while keeping his strikeout rate at a palatable 18 percent over 183 plate appearances.
