Guardians NRI Emerging As Player to Watch During Spring Training

The Cleveland Guardians outfield is bound to garner plenty of attention during Spring Training. There will be plenty of eyes on Chase DeLauter’s at-bats and health, while George Valera is also a must-see player, too. 

While all of that remains true, there is one player that’s already emerging as someone to keep an eye on throughout training camp, and he’s not even on the 40-man roster: Stuart Fairchild.

Visit truewildgame.online for more information.

The Guardians signed Fairchild to a Minor League deal for the 2026 season at the end of December, but Stephen Vogt has already made it clear that the team plans give the 29-year-old plenty of reps with the big-league team throughout the spring. 

“Stuart, obviously has a track record in this league of really hitting lefties well. Very good defense in all three outfield spots. He’s someone who has worked tremendously hard and knows who he is as a player and could be a really good compliment for us at some point this year,” Vogt said.

"He's going to play all three spots. Like a number of our outfielders, they're going to play in all three positions. And like I said, we've got a six-to-seven-week competition going on, and it's going to be fun to watch it unfold."

May 14, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves right fielder Stuart Fairchild (17) hits an RBI double against the Washington Nationals in the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Guardians went into the offseason needing more outfield depth and more right-handed hitting. Fairchild checks both boxes, which is one of the reasons Cleveland’s skipper said he was on their radar early in the winter. 

“We identified him very early in the offseason as somebody that we wanted to bring in. He's a great teammate, great human,” continued Vogt.

Fairchild is in line to get plenty of playing time early on in Spring Training games. The Guardians want to get a good look at what he can do before he leaves camp to play for Chinese Taipei in the World Baseball Classic, something Vogt said he’s excited for the outfielder to get the opportunity to do. 

“We're going to see a lot of him early, before he takes off, and try to get him built up to go play. Yeah, he and his honor are going to play quite a bit before they leave. We need to get their innings ramped up."

Fairchild may not be the marquee free agent singing fans were hoping for, but he still has the chance to be a key depth piece for the Guardians, either coming out of camp or later on in the year, making him an early player to watch when Cactus League games start on Saturday. 

Guardians Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Guardians. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.

Read full story at source