MINNEAPOLIS -- The Guardians have tried to master the art of balancing patience with a young player who’s trying to develop at the Major League level and knowing when it’s best for that player to have more time in Triple-A Columbus. Will Brennan has been no different.

The beauty of Brennan for the Guardians has been how easy he makes it for the organization to be patient. Even though he had a difficult six-week stretch in April and May and he had a handful of miscues in right field, he continued to put in enough work that proved he could be on the verge of a breakthrough.

Now, the Guardians are reaping the benefits of sticking with him.

Brennan delivered the go-ahead, two-run homer to deep right field off starter Sonny Gray that helped lift the Guardians to a critical 4-2 victory over the Twins on Saturday night at Target Field. It marked the first home run Gray allowed this season.

“Struggle brings out the best in you or the worst in you,” Brennan said, “so you have to be able to make that choice and go along with that.” 

From April 18 through May 28, Brennan hit just .167 with a .431 OPS. In that span, the Guardians committed to working with him through these struggles at the big league level, as they optioned the other struggling right fielder, Oscar Gonzalez, to Triple-A Columbus on May 6.

“I think he’s been outstanding,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said of Brennan. “He’s made some mistakes but I don’t think it’s out of his hitting. He’s working on some things in the outfield. He’s working on some things on the bases. But it’s youth, it’s not frustration. 

“You want to be patient, but [the way he plays] helps you to be patient.” 

Brennan started to turn a corner as soon as the club got to Baltimore earlier this week. He went 3-for-4 with two doubles on Monday and 2-for-4 on Tuesday. After a day off, his momentum continued in Minnesota, as he turned in a pair of two-hit performances in the first two nights of the four-game series.

On Saturday, not only did he stay in the hit column, but he provided a big and timely hit for the Guardians, who were close to dropping their third consecutive game against the top team in the division. 

“There’s been some mechanical changes, some adjustments, just the plan of attack,” Brennan said, “being able to be a little bit more patient, not swinging at everything that’s being thrown at you. So, just trying to do that and I’m just growing up every single day up here.”

Brennan has had a difficult time staying in the zone this year. Entering Saturday’s game, he ranked in the third percentile in chase rate among all qualified hitters. He hasn’t hit a ton of balls hard and he ranks in the first percentile in walks with his ultra-aggressive approach at the plate.

But during that stretch, Brennan tried to keep a positive mindset, which has helped him break out of this skid.

“When you take a step back and you look at what’s going on, you have to be able to see what you’re doing every day. It’s been pretty awesome,” Brennan said. “You’re playing in the big leagues and struggle comes along with that and you just have to be able to pick yourself up and make adjustments and find a way out of it. It’s the name of the game.” 

Brennan is a rookie. He played in the last few weeks of Cleveland’s season last year, turned as many heads as possible during the team’s postseason run and has a little more than two months of the 2023 season under his belt. His experience is limited, but his awareness and maturity is that of a veteran. And because of that, it’s easier to believe that seeing success in just a handful of games is a stepping stone to a much hotter run in the near future.

“This might sound dramatic but he might be one of our best players when he gets going,” Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan said. “He’s contact, power, he can run, he’s got a great arm defensively, a great baseball IQ. If he gets going, I think we could be in a really good position.”