CLEVELAND -- Angel Genao grew up idolizing Francisco Lindor. Poetically, the Guardians' prospect made his big league debut with the superstar shortstop in the opposite dugout.
A special bonus for Genao? He met Lindor during pregame workouts and received some sage advice before his debut.
“Mainly [Lindor told me] just to look at the players I have around me and learn from them, and most importantly to enjoy the game,” Genao said through team interpreter Agustin Rivero. “This is a great time to enjoy and have fun.”
Lindor made his big league debut with Cleveland in 2015, and he was Genao’s favorite player growing up. As a kid, Genao watched highlight videos of the dynamic All-Star, who spent his first six seasons with Cleveland before he was traded to New York on Jan. 7, 2021.
Eight days later, Genao signed with Cleveland as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic. Genao has since followed the path Lindor charted over a decade ago as a highly regarded shortstop prospect in the Cleveland farm system.
“This is an energetic kid. He obviously has talent, unbelievable talent,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “There's a lot to be excited about with Angel on both sides of the plate. Just his energy, I think, is going to be a bolt for all of us."
Genao has increasingly been on Cleveland’s radar in recent seasons. Expectations were high entering 2025, when he was ticketed for Double-A Akron. But he missed the start of the season due to a right shoulder strain and was limited to 77 games with the RubberDucks.
The Guardians added Genao to their 40-man roster in November, and he has enjoyed a bounce-back season this year. In 96 games between Akron and Columbus, he’s logged a .300/.401/.474 slash line with 20 doubles, 13 homers, 53 RBIs and 60 walks with 68 strikeouts.
Genao’s production with Columbus, particularly, has continued to pop. The Guardians promoted Genao to the Clippers on May 4. He has a .309/.395/.494 slash line with 17 doubles, 10 home runs, 42 RBIs, 38 walks and 48 strikeouts over 72 games, which included a multihomer performance on Tuesday against Syracuse.
Clippers manager Andy Tracy informed Genao he was headed to The Show after that performance.
“I was very excited,” Genao said. “I made a group call to my mom, my dad and my brothers.”
While Genao is primarily a shortstop (318 career starts in the Minors), he also has experience playing third base (58) and second (43) in the Minors. He will play each position for Cleveland, as extra cover for José Ramírez, Travis Bazzana and Brayan Rocchio.
Given Ramírez is still working back into the swing of things following his return from left hamate surgery, Genao could loom large at the hot corner.
Genao played winter ball this past offseason with the Águilas Cibaeñas in the Dominican Republic. It not only got him reps against higher-level pitching, which features more breaking pitches, but also helped him make a mindset adjustment.
Genao always felt he had a good eye, but he also has an ability to make a lot of contact. He learned to take on more of a patient approach, which his numbers show has translated to the Minors this year.
Genao also credits his brother, Joel David Acosta, for guiding his baseball development. Acosa played high-level amateur baseball, and he insisted Genao be a switch-hitter when Genao was just 7 years old.
“He's the cornerstone of my development,” Genao said. “He was the one who gave me the foundation and the basics of how to play the game. He's been alongside me for the whole process as I became a professional.”
The Guardians designated utility man Gabriel Arias for assignment in a corresponding move to Genao’s callup. He is out of Minor League options, so the Guardians have seven days to trade him, release him or put him on waivers.
Arias overall had a disappointing tenure in Cleveland. The 26-year-old has flashed tantalizing tools at the plate and defensively, but struggled to put it all together over five seasons. Arias slashed .219/.275/.359 with a 34.3 percent strikeout rate in 1,168 plate appearances over 362 games.
The Guardians made a flurry of moves before the Trade Deadline on Monday to bolster their outlook for the stretch run. Genao could offer another reinforcement as he joins the roster at an increasingly crucial time of the season.