The countdown is on for Bo Naylor

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This story was excerpted from Mandy Bell’s Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Let’s dive into the farm.

When the big league team is struggling, it’s easy for fans to start keeping a closer eye on who’s doing what at each level throughout the Minor League system. It’s safe to say that with the struggles Cleveland’s catchers have had this year, the spotlight has been on Bo Naylor for weeks.

Let’s start with a look at him before we get into the other levels of Cleveland’s farm system in this Minor League roundup.

Triple-A Columbus

Naylor, the team's No. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, had been relatively quiet over the last few games. He had gone 2-for-his-last-22 in the last week, leading into Saturday. As much as Guardians fans had been begging for him to get a callup to the big leagues (aside from him serving as the 27th man for Sunday’s doubleheader in New York), it certainly would’ve come at a time when Naylor’s bat had cooled off.

But maybe Saturday changed that.

Naylor went 2-for-4 against Indianapolis, including a go-ahead RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The Guardians have said they’ve wanted Naylor to have more developmental time behind the dish, especially with his throwing, before he’d get the call to the big leagues.

But as the situation behind Cleveland’s plate worsens, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Naylor in a Major League uniform sooner than later.

Double-A Akron

Cody Morris isn’t a regular in Double-A Akron, but it is where he made his last appearance and will make his next on Sunday. The Guardians are starting to work through the options of what his role could look like this season. He pitched a perfect inning with Akron on Wednesday before turning the ball over to No. 28 prospect Doug Nikhazy, who racked up 10 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

Morris is a hurler the Guardians have been intrigued by for a long time. The problem is the team hasn’t been able to see him in action. Injuries aside, Morris would’ve been a starting option for the organization for the past two years.

Instead, right shoulder troubles sidelined him until August last year, making relieving his only option. Coming into this season, he would’ve been able to finally stretch himself back out as a starter and showcase what he can bring to the table. Instead, he dealt with more shoulder troubles, causing his timetable to get pushed back until June.

Because he’s not as late into the season as he was last year, the Guardians have to determine what his role will look like in 2023. The plan for now is to stretch him out to three innings. Then, the team will re-evaluate the situation.

“Quite frankly, there’s a combination of what helps us the most, what’s in his best interest,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “We’re trying to figure that out. Because we think he’s a pretty good pitcher. We just haven’t seen him as much as we’d like.”

High-A Lake County

Well, Juan Brito doesn’t belong in this category anymore, but it’s still right to highlight the efforts he put in with Lake County.

The shortstop made his Double-A debut on Saturday after a handful of strong performances with the Captains.

In his last three games with Lake County, he went 7-for-12 with two doubles, one homer, three RBIs and two walks, earning him a promotion to Akron. With the RubberDucks, he went 1-for-3 in his debut.

Class-A Lynchburg

Outfielder Wuilfredo Antunez has had a strong May, hitting .323 with a .924 OPS in 62 at-bats. In his last six games, he’s gone 7-for-23 (.304) with a double, triple and two RBIs.

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