CLEVELAND -- Given how well Cooper Ingle has performed with Triple-A Columbus this season, it was a matter of when, not if, he could help the Guardians. With Cleveland mired in a tough stretch offensively, the 24-year-old catcher is receiving his first opportunity at the game’s highest level.
The Guardians promoted Ingle (who’s ranked as their No. 3 prospect and No. 68 overall by MLB Pipeline) from Columbus ahead of Friday's series opener against the Mariners, the club announced. Ingle was in Friday's starting lineup as the designated hitter, batting fifth for his MLB debut.
Outfielder Stuart Fairchild was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
The Guardians just completed a 3-6 road trip they were forced to navigate without three key lineup fixtures. José Ramírez (left hamate fracture), Angel Martínez (non-displaced left foot fracture) and Chase DeLauter (right rib cage fracture) each are on the 10-day injured list after suffering injuries on June 13 vs. the Tigers.
Cleveland averaged 3.44 runs per game on its trip without that trio, and those figures are also part of a longer stretch of the club struggling offensively. The Guardians entered Friday ranked 29th in the Majors in runs scored in June (71).
Ingle alone won’t turn the tide. But he’s had a strong season in Triple-A and has earned his first opportunity with Cleveland. Over 51 games with Columbus, he logged a .284/.416/.551 slash line with nine doubles, 12 home runs, 41 RBIs and 41 walks with 50 strikeouts.
Ingle has hit so well with Columbus this season that the Guardians recently began paving an alternative path for him to reach the Majors. He’s primarily a backstop, but the big league club is loaded with depth at the position between Austin Hedges, Patrick Bailey and the versatile David Fry.
So, the Guardians had Ingle begin to play outfield with the Clippers this month. He made his seventh start in left field on Wednesday. That’s likely where you can expect to see him with Cleveland, with some designated hitter duties mixed in.
Outfield is new to Ingle professionally, but he has experience out there. He played left (15 appearances) and right field (24) in college at Clemson, before the Guardians selected him in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft.
“We knew it was something that could be in our back pocket,” Guardians assistant general manager James Harris said recently of Ingle playing outfield. “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.”
DeLauter has begun completing baseball activities, and manager Stephen Vogt noted this week the Guardians are hopeful he can come off the IL during this 10-game homestand. Martínez, however, is further from a return after he was given a timetable of 4-to-6 weeks.
That should give Ingle some runway as he gets his feet wet in The Show. In the immediate future, he will join an outfield mix that most recently included Fry, Stuart Fairchild, Steven Kwan, Petey Halpin and super utility man Daniel Schneemann.