As Ingle continues to play OF, could it lead to his MLB callup?

CHICAGO -- The way Cooper Ingle continues to swing the bat, it feels like only a matter of time until he gets his first opportunity in the big leagues. The question is when the Guardians may pull that lever.

Ingle (who’s ranked as the Guardians’ No. 3 prospect and No. 68 overall by MLB Pipeline) is having a stellar season with Triple-A Columbus. In 51 games through Wednesday, the 24-year-old catcher had a .284/.416/.551 slash line with nine doubles, 12 home runs, 41 RBIs and 41 walks with 50 strikeouts.

The Guardians are rich in catching depth between Austin Hedges, Patrick Bailey and versatile third backstop David Fry. Beyond that, Cleveland places a strong emphasis on its catchers’ defense, and one of Ingle’s primary tasks with Columbus has been working to improve behind the plate.

The Guardians, however, have started to play Ingle in left field with the Clippers amid his continued success at the plate, as a potential alternative pathway for him to take to the Majors. And with Cleveland’s recent struggles offensively, the buzz surrounding Ingle’s big league readiness and ability to help continues to grow.

Ingle has made seven starts in left field for Columbus, including on Wednesday. Is it merely a matter of him needing more reps on the grass before he can be a big league option?

“Not necessarily, and it’s hard to put your finger on exactly when he may come up here,” Guardians assistant general manager James Harris said this past weekend. “We didn't know that we were going to have three injuries in 30 minutes, so it's really hard to determine when the exact right time will be.

“We just know that Cooper's a hard worker. As you've seen, the bat plays. We're hoping that he can help us up here in the future.”

The three injuries -- to José Ramírez (left hamate fracture), Angel Martínez (non-displaced left foot fracture) and Chase DeLauter (right rib cage fracture) -- removed three key hitters from the Guardians’ lineup. Each player is now on the 10-day injured list, the impact of which Cleveland has no doubt felt.

Including Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the White Sox, the Guardians have averaged 3.44 runs per game over nine contests without that trio. Going back further, Cleveland entered Wednesday tied with the Braves for fewest runs scored (67) in June.

Promoting Ingle (or any prospect) would not be a magic pill to boost the Guardians' overall production. But it could certainly help, and also allow Ingle to get his feet wet in the Majors. Entering Wednesday, Guardians outfielders had a collective .227/.302/.357 slash line this season.

The designated hitter spot presents another avenue to get Ingle at-bats, and he could soak in as much information as possible from Hedges and Co.

“We knew it was something that could be in our back pocket,” Harris said of Ingle adding versatility to his tool kit. “But we were so focused on making him the best catcher he could possibly be, we didn't want to spread out that time. Catching is physically demanding, and then being in the outfield, [it would be] turning him into all the high-speed running and sprinting that he would have to do.

“... He's wanted to do it. We wanted him to do it. Now that we can get him some versatility in the outfield, he's [doing] both.”

The outfield is not foreign to Ingle. During his collegiate career with Clemson, he made 23 appearances in right field and another 15 in left field. Harris noted Ingle is athletic and has looked good out there so far.

Of course, there’s more to playing the outfield than just catching balls. There’s a lot of running. Outfielders must get to a ball quickly and get it back into the infield as fast as possible. Situationally, they must know where to throw on a given play.

The Guardians have been spoiled by the tremendous left-field play of Steven Kwan, who’s a four-time AL Gold Glove Award winner out there. However, in a new wrinkle this season, Kwan has made more starts in center (40) than left (29).

Cleveland hoped that Kwan playing some center this season would help it generate more offense by opening at-bats for other players in left. The club has a lot of corner outfield depth, which Ingle is now within.

As Ingle continues to hit and see time in left, his potential callup will stand as an intriguing option for the Guardians.

“What we've seen so far has been good,” Harris said of Ingle in left field, “and he's working every day to get better.”