CLEVELAND -- After his challenging first few months of the 2025 season, the Guardians are giving Jhonkensy Noel an opportunity to hit the reset button. For Noel, that will happen in the Minor Leagues.
Cleveland optioned Noel to Triple-A Columbus on Sunday, and in a corresponding move, the club recalled right fielder Johnathan Rodríguez (Guardians’ No. 12 prospect) from the Clippers. Rodríguez drew the start in right field in the series finale vs. the Astros.
Noel struggled to get going offensively this season while receiving uneven playing time as part of a platoon in right field with the left-handed-hitting Nolan Jones. The Guardians have faced 49 right-handed starters this season, compared to 18 lefties, and Noel played in 46 games overall. He slashed .146/.168/.223 with two homers, nine RBIs, three walks and 34 strikeouts.
As a rookie last season, Noel slugged 13 homers in 67 regular-season games, and he went on to crush a game-tying pinch-hit homer in the Guardians’ comeback win over the Yankees in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series. His option to Columbus is an opportunity for him to get on track while receiving more regular at-bats.
“It just hasn't been the start to the season that he would have liked or that we would have liked,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “For me, Jhonkensy, [it’s] ‘Just go play. Go play. Go relax, get back to being you.’ There's some adjustments that need to be made, obviously, but I think in Jhonkensy’s case, we know how good of a player he is.
“He plays an unbelievable right field. He's a good baserunner, and he has the power to hit the ball out of the yard. It just hasn't been there yet this year, and we still hold true to the belief that Jhonkensy, the best version of him helps us win games.”
The Guardians have acknowledged throughout this season that Noel had a challenging role due to the inconsistent at-bats. Staying in rhythm with limited playing time can be challenging for a veteran hitter, let alone someone such as Noel, who is only 23 years old and has just 282 at-bats over 113 games in his big league career.
It can also be natural for any player who is struggling to feel the pressure to produce in the limited reps they do receive, especially as they try to fight their way out of a slump.
“You feel like you have to go 5-for-4 every time you play,” Vogt said. “It's one of those things that you start to put pressure on yourself. We have conversations with our guys all the time about this. We do our best to keep them in a good mental headspace. But there's nothing that can help when you're struggling and you're down on yourself, and you put more pressure on yourself to be perfect.
“It's a really tough role, and we empathize with them with that. But we also try to equip them with the skills to overcome it. I think sometimes we view getting sent to Triple-A as this super negative thing. Of course, everybody wants to be in the big leagues. No one wants to be a Triple-A. But this is the best thing that can be for Jhonkensy right now to go get playing time, to go get at-bats, so that he can work on the things daily that he needs to.”
Rodríguez made Cleveland’s Opening Day roster but received limited playing time over the first week-plus of the season (five at-bats over four games). He was optioned to Columbus on April 8 and has had a strong season at the plate.
In 46 games with the Clippers, Rodríguez has slashed .324/.408/.494 with seven homers, 32 RBIs, 23 walks and 48 strikeouts. He said he worked on his timing between his hands and his legs to be more comfortable in the batter’s box with Columbus.
“Johnathan has been trending in the right direction,” Vogt said. “He's made some swing adjustments. We asked him to really work and he bought in, and he's been working on it. … Our hitting team, hitting group in the Minor Leagues, Triple-A staff, as we talked through it, they said he's at a point where he can come up and help us win games.”