CLEVELAND -- Lane Thomas got a 2-2 slider from Reds lefty Wade Miley in the first inning on Monday. Thomas stayed on the 89 mph offering, which hung out over the plate, and drove it to right-center field for a base hit -- over the outstretched glove of second baseman Matt McLain.
That single was Thomas’ first hit since April 18 and officially cemented his return to the lineup after a stint on the 10-day injured list. The 29-year-old went 1-for-3 with a pair of walks in the Guardians’ 7-4 loss to the Reds at Progressive Field.
"Great to have Lane back in the lineup," manager Stephen Vogt said before the game. "He's feeling good. He said he hasn't felt this good in a year. It's really good to have him back. Obviously, he makes the lineup longer, [and he is] one of our best players."
Thomas (who was Cleveland’s Opening Day center fielder and No. 3 hitter) has been limited to 18 games this season due to a pair of injuries. He went on the IL on May 30 while dealing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Previously, he missed a month with a bone bruise in his right wrist, stemming from a hit by pitch in Cleveland’s home opener on April 8.
Thomas returned from his wrist injury on May 22 but played just four games before going back on the IL due to the foot issue. He said it was bugging him for a while, and it continued to get worse as the season went on. He noted it got “pretty bad” over the offseason, when he did what he could to treat it, and that spring was “rough.”
It got to a point where Thomas felt he needed to do something. He began to turn a corner after receiving injections in the foot and taking some down time.
“It’s nice being able to run and play good defense and run the bases without hesitating,” Thomas said.
Thomas’s foot was quickly put to test after his single in the first. He stole second base with a feet-first slide two batters later, with David Fry at the plate. Thomas also appeared to have no issues roaming center field, and recorded a 25.7 mph sprint speed running to his right to corral an RBI single by Will Benson in the seventh inning.
Thomas struck out in his final two at-bats, but he was encouraged by his swing, considering his layoff. He’s 8-for-62 (.129) with a .345 OPS this season, and he figured to settle in with the more reps he gets.
“The previous game before he went back on the IL [May 26 vs. the Dodgers], I thought, were his best swings he had taken since coming off the IL the first time,” Vogt said. “He picked up where he left off. He worked a couple walks, but his swings were right there. He’s right on the ball.
“It's just nice to have Lane back. It's such a jolt for our team and our lineup.”
Thomas’ return is a potential boost in two ways: He hits well against left-handed pitching, and he gives Vogt another option in the beleaguered second spot in the lineup.
Entering Monday, the Guardians had a .221/.286/.319 slash line and a wRC+ against lefties this season. They ranked 22nd in average and 23rd in on-base percentage, 29th in slugging and 24th in wRC+. Thomas, meanwhile, has a career .295/.358/.501 slash line vs. southpaws.
Fry became the eighth guy to get a turn in the No. 2 spot in Friday’s 4-2 loss to the Astros. He remains an intriguing option, but entering Monday, Guardians hitters hitting there had slashed a collective .165/.222/.283.
The Guardians fell to 3-5 in June with Monday’s loss. Starter Luis L. Ortiz allowed four runs on nine hits (including two homers) and one walk with five strikeouts. Cleveland committed three errors; was out-hit, 16-7; and left seven runners on base.
“We did not play our brand of baseball tonight, at all,” Vogt said. “This is the first night I've watched us and we didn't look like ourselves. We need to take better care of the baseball. We need to run the bases better. We need to have better at-bats, and we need to throw more strikes.
“We haven't been ourselves. We've faced some really tough teams the last few weeks, but we're a really good team, too. But tonight was the first night I just felt like we didn't look like us. So stay the course. Get back to being us.”