Angel

Martínez

The Guardians will be going with their typical lineup against left-handed pitching, which means Rodríguez will start in right field, with Jhonkensy Noel starting at first base, Austin Hedges catching, and Angel Martinez in center field. Rodríguez is slashing .240/.309/.460 against lefties this season with two home runs in 55 plate appearances, so his presence doesn’t move the needle a huge amount.

Manzardo has been starting more games against left-handed pitchers, but perhaps the Guardians feel that Tarik Skubal is a far more difficult challenge. Manzardo has hit .279 with 11 home runs and 30 RBI in 49 games since the All-Star break. He’s shaping up to be a solid fantasy contributor in 2026, but he will give way to Jhonkensy Noel at first base on Thursday. Angel Martinez will also start in center field, and David Fry will start at DH as the Guardians put most of their lefties on the bench against Skubal.

Wilson went 3-for-6 during his week in the majors, but the Guardians decided they no longer needed him as infield insurance. Today’s moves suggests that Angel Martínez will see more infield time than outfield time this month.

Martinez was 0-for-17 in his previous seven games and 3-for-39 in his previous 12 games. It seemed like he might lose some playing time with C.J. Kayfus up, particularly against righties, but he’s started in center field the last four days. The Guardians’ primary alternative there, Daniel Schneeman, doesn’t play against lefties and is still seeing time in the field against righties.

It’s a rare off day for Martínez, who has made 21 consecutive starts for Cleveland dating back to July 4. The 23-year-old has hit a minor speed bump recently, hitting .222 (6-for-27) with one RBI over his past seven games. It’ll be Daniel Schneeman taking over in center field and batting second on Tuesday night in his absence.

Martinez has been a hot bat atop the Guardians’ lineup lately. In his last 11 games, he has seven doubles, four home runs, nine runs scored, 11 RBI and a stolen base. Martinez is likely to cool off at the plate any day now, but it was a great stretch for fantasy managers in AL-Only leagues. He’s hitting .246 with a .677 OPS and 37 RBI this year.

Martinez went back-to-back with teammate Daniel Schneemann off of White Sox’ rookie right-hander Shane Smith in the second inning, with his 355-foot blast increasing the Guardians’ lead to 2-0. He also doubled off of Dan Altavilla, finishing the night 2-for-3. On the season, the versatile 23-year-old is now slashing .243/.269/.400 with eight long balls and 32 RBI.

Martinez gave the Guardians an early 1-0 lead with a solo homer off Brandon Walter in the first inning. The 23-year-old is slashing a less-than-desirable .238/.264/.381 in 2025, but there have been enough good moments — including seven homers — to suggest that he can be a useable fantasy option in the coming years.

The Guardians hit Astros’ ace Hunter Brown hard in this one, storming out to a 6-1 advantage through their first four innings. They gave that lead away though by the ninth and went to extra innings with the score tied at 6-6. That’s where Martinez victimized Astros’ closer Josh Hader for his 334-foot go-ahead blast that put the Guardians on top to stay. Martinez finished the night 1-for-4 plus a walk and is now hitting .238/.264/.371 with six homers and 30 RBI on the season.

It looks to be just a routine night off for the 24-year-old infielder. Daniel Schneemann will slide over and cover the shortstop position in his absence while Angel Martinez will draw a start at second base and bat ninth against Tigers’ right-hander Reese Olson.