DETROIT -- The Guardians can always count on Steven Kwan to play strong defense in left and center field. That’s a key element of the four-time Gold Glove Award winner’s stardom, along with an elite hit tool that has lagged behind this season and led to Kwan’s demotion from Cleveland’s leadoff spot.
It’s only been a few games, but Kwan has responded well to being moved down in the lineup, all while continuing to play plus defense. That was on full display Tuesday, in the Guardians’ 4-3 win over the Tigers at Comerica Park.
Hitting seventh in the Guardians' lineup, Kwan went 1-for-2 with one walk, a sacrifice fly, a double and one run scored. His sac fly got Cleveland on the board in the second inning, and he put the Guardians ahead in the seventh when he hit a leadoff double and scored on a Brayan Rocchio groundout.
“Kwany’s a good hitter,” manager Stephen Vogt said postgame. “We’re really seeing him kind of relax here the last few days and get back to being himself. It's looking really good.”
Immediately before his double, Kwan made an impressive sliding catch in foul territory down the left-field line to end the sixth inning. He covered 104 feet, according to Statcast, to snag the drive hit by Detroit’s Wenceel Pérez.
The Guardians demoted Kwan from the leadoff spot on Saturday, which marked his first start anywhere else in their lineup since June 18, 2022, amid his sluggish start to the season offensively. In four games since, he has gone 2-for-8 with eight walks compared to just two strikeouts while batting sixth and seventh twice apiece.
“He’s back to being him,” Vogt said pregame. “He’s not trying to do too much. He's just trying to go up there and have a quality at-bat. Again, whether he's hitting first, seventh, sixth, it's still Steven Kwan. They're still aware of him when he gets there, and in some ways, it's made our lineup a lot longer with him down there.”
Kwan had four walks against the Reds from Saturday to Sunday, though Cincinnati’s bullpen has yielded the most in the Majors, as Kwan alluded to. He’s drawn four walks in two games in Detroit, including three on Monday.
“I made the joke, ‘I don't know if their pitchers have looked up at the scoreboard.’” Kwan quipped after Tuesday’s win, alluding to his personal stats. “I would think that there'd be more strikes in the zone.”
More important than the numbers in this small sample? Kwan said his swing is feeling better. He feels more aggressive and that he’s putting his body in the right spot. It all came together in the seventh inning Tuesday, when the Guardians and Tigers were tied at three.
Kwan led off the seventh and was up against lefty Tyler Holton, against whom he was 2-for-12 in his career. The Guardians have had minimal success against Holton, who entered the day with a 0.92 ERA in 18 appearances (including three as an opener) against them.
Kwan wanted to be aggressive knowing he could otherwise quickly fall into a tough at-bat. Holton threw a first-pitch sinker over the middle of the plate, and Kwan hit it a Statcast-projected 364 feet. Had Pérez not gotten some glove on it, Kwan may have had a go-ahead home run.
Kwan settled for the double, advanced to third on an Austin Hedges sac bunt and scored on Rocchio’s grounder. Detroit had the infield playing in, and shortstop Zack Short had to dive to his left to make the stop.
"He's an All-Star,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said of Kwan. “Even All-Stars do positive things when the scoreboard is telling you they haven't had a perfect season. He finds his way in the middle and obviously sparked that inning to allow them to score."
Kwan’s sliding catch in the sixth came with a runner on first and two outs. The left-handed-hitting Pérez sliced a liner down the line. Off the bat, Kwan knew he may have a play on it and entered a sprint toward the corner. He slowed down as he neared the side wall, slid and made a basket catch a few feet into foul territory.
Kwan’s defense is a constant. The Guardians’ goal is for him to eventually find his way back to the leadoff spot. Right now, he’s fitting in well in the bottom third of the order.
“He's just done a phenomenal job,” said Vogt. “I really appreciate the way he's taken it, too. It's not easy and the conversation we had went well. He was like, ‘I just want to help us win any way I can.’”