Guardians' Will Brennan: Denied Opening Day roster spot
Rotowire
The Guardians optioned Brennan to Triple-A Columbus on Monday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
Brennan seemed to be in good position to open the season in the strong side of a platoon in right field, but the Guardians' acquisition of Nolan Jones over the weekend ended Brennan's hopes of breaking camp with the big club. The 27-year-old should be in line for steady at-bats with Columbus while he awaits another opportunity with the big club.
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Guardians' Will Brennan: Roster spot not confirmed
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Brennan may not make the Guardians' Opening Day roster after the team acquired Nolan Jones from Colorado via a trade Saturday, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Brennan appeared headed for a platoon role in right field with Jhonkensy Noel -- and was informed he'd made the team earlier last week by manager Stephen Vogt -- but Saturday's acquisition of the left-handed hitting Jones throws Brennan's roster status up in the air. "No final decisions have been made," Vogt said. "We just have to work through some things over the next few days. This was unforeseen." That Jones is out of options and can't be sent to the minors while Brennan has options indicates the latter may open the regular season at Triple-A Columbus.
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Guardians' Will Brennan: Launches two homers Friday
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Brennan went 2-for-4 with two two-run home runs in Friday's spring game against the Mariners.
Brennan logged his first two homers of the Cactus League during the latter innings of the game. He's ostensibly battling with Jhonkensy Noel for the starting job in right field, but the position may become a platoon between the two. Brennan is batting .286 (8-for-28) with three extra-base hits and five RBI, while Noel is 10-for-35 (.286) with one homer, three RBI and 15 strikeouts.
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Guardians' Will Brennan: Still in line to make roster
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Brennan is still in line to make the Guardians' Opening Day roster despite a slow spring training, Mandy Bell and Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
Brennan has struggled each of the last two seasons with OPS marks of .655 and .697, respectively. Even after logging only six hits across 24 at-bats in the spring this season -- only one of which has gone for extra bases -- he is still projected to make the roster and split reps with Jhonkensy Noel in right field. Brennan would provide a contact-heavy profile at the plate from the left side, while Noel should provide more pop with more strikeouts.
Brennan and Jhonkensy Noel enter spring training in a competition for the starting job in right field, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Brennan made most of his starts in right field in 2024, but the left-handed hitter platooned at the position in the second half after the righty-swinging Noel was called up late June. Brennan burst onto the scene in 2022 but failed to replicate his success the last two seasons, hitting just 13 home runs with a .673 OPS over 252 games. The Guardians would like to get more power out of the corner outfield positions, particularly after the team traded Josh Naylor during the offseason. Enter Noel, who went deep 13 times in 67 games after his call-up. He presents issues, too, so the eventual starter may emerge from outside this duo.
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Guardians' Will Brennan: Sitting for Game 5
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Brennan isn't in the Guardians' lineup Saturday for Game 5 of the ALCS versus the Yankees, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
The lefty-hitting Brennan will take a seat Saturday as the Yankees prepare to send the lefty-throwing Carlos Rodon to the mound to start Game 5. Jhonkensy Noel will start in right field while batting sixth.
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Guardians' Will Brennan: Absent from Game 4 lineup
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Brennan is not in the lineup Friday for Game 4 of the ALCS against the Yankees, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
The Guardians will give a second straight start to Daniel Schneemann in right field while Brennan begins the contest on the bench. Brennan is 2-for-11 with one RBI so far this postseason.
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Guardians' Will Brennan: Absent from Game 3 lineup
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Brennan isn't in the Guardians' lineup Thursday for Game 3 of the ALCS against the Yankees, Chris Assenheimer of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Brennan will get a chance to regroup Thursday after starting the postseason just 1-for-10 at the plate. While he sits, Daniel Schneemann will take over in right field and bat sixth versus New York righty Clarke Schmidt.
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Guardians' Will Brennan: Sitting for Game 5
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Brennan isn't in the Guardians' starting lineup Saturday for Game 5 of the ALDS against the Tigers, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
The lefty-hitting Brennan will begin Saturday's contest on the bench while southpaw Tarik Skubal starts on the mound for Detroit. Jhonkensy Noel will get the starting nod in right field instead and bat sixth.
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Guardians' Will Brennan: Out of lineup again in Game 2
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Brennan is not in the lineup Monday for Game 2 of the ALDS against the Tigers, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
With southpaw Tarik Skubal on the bump for the Tigers, the left-handed hitting Brennan will begin the contest on the bench. He didn't start against lefty opener Tyler Holton in Game 1, either, nor did he enter versus any of the three righties the Tigers used after Holton. Jhonkensy Noel is getting the call again in right field for the Guardians.
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Guardians' Will Brennan: Not starting Game 1 of ALDS
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Brennan is not in Cleveland's lineup for Game 1 of the American League Division Series versus Detroit.
Brennan started all three games during the Guardians' final series of the regular season against Houston, playing twice in right field and once in left field. However, Jhonkensy Noel will start in right field in the first game of the ALDS while Steven Kwan gets the start in left. Brennan plays mostly against right-handed pitchers, and Detroit is opening Game 1 with southpaw Tyler Holton, which likely explains Brennan's exclusion from the lineup. However, Brennan could enter the game at some point, as righty Reese Olson is expected to work in bulk relief Saturday.
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Guardians' Will Brennan: Delivers three hits in loss
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Brennan went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Astros.
Brennan has gone 12-for-26 (.462) over his last 10 games, filling a part-time role in the outfield for the Guardians. He got a leadoff look Saturday with Steven Kwan resting now that Cleveland has clinched a spot in the ALDS. Brennan is at a .264/.309/.388 slash line, eight home runs, 30 RBI, 37 runs scored, 13 doubles and four stolen bases over 114 contests. He's likely to be a strong-side platoon option for the postseason.
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Guardians' Will Brennan: Heading to bench Wednesday
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Brennan is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.
He'll give way in right field to Jhonkensy Noel in the series finale after going 2-for-5 at the dish while picking up starts in both of the past two contests. With Steven Kwan returning from the injured list Wednesday and settling back in as the Guardians' everyday left fielder, Brennan could face a threat for playing time not only from Noel, but also Angel Martinez. Martinez had been serving as the primary replacement in left for the duration of Kwan's absence.
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Guardians' Will Brennan: Resting up Saturday
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Brennan isn't in the Guardians' lineup for Saturday's game versus the Cardinals.
Brennan will get a day off Saturday after going 0-for-4 during a win in Friday's series opener. He'll be replaced in right field by Jhonkensy Noel, who will bat seventh.
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Guardians' Will Brennan: Out of lineup again Thursday
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Brennan is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Twins.
For the second straight day, the Guardians have gone with Jhonkensy Noel in right field over Brennan against a right-handed pitcher. Brennan came off the bench to deliver a game-tying RBI single in the 10th inning of Wednesday's win over the Twins, so it's possible he'll make another mid-game appearance Thursday.
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Guardians' Will Brennan: Taking seat Wednesday
Rotowire
Brennan is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Twins.
Jhonkensy Noel will step in as the Guardians' starting right fielder Wednesday, but Brennan appears to be the favored option at the moment. Brennan started in each of the Guardians' last three matchups with right-handers and produced four hits in 11 at-bats during that stretch.
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Guardians' Will Brennan: Regaining playing time against RHPs
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Brennan will start in right field and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Twins.
Brennan will make a second straight start in right field against a right-handed pitcher (Pablo Lopez) and might have re-emerged as the Guardians' preferred option at the position over Jhonkensy Noel, who has produced a .426 OPS with a 32.4 percent strikeout rate since the start of September. Noel should still be a priority over Brennan when the Guardians face left-handed pitching.
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Guardians' Will Brennan: Batting leadoff Sunday
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Brennan will start in left field and bat leadoff in Sunday's game against the Dodgers.
Though he'll fill in atop the batting order for a resting Steven Kwan on Sunday, Brennan's time as a strong-side platoon player for the Guardians could be over. He had been on the bench for four of the Guardians' previous six matchups with right-handed pitching, with rookie Kyle Manzardo and Lane Thomas seemingly have overtaken Brennan as the team's preferred options at designated hitter and in right field, respectively.
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