The Cleveland Guardians had a scare during Friday's 10-8 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates when All-Star first baseman Josh Naylor rolled his ankle running to first base on an eighth-inning RBI single and had to leave the game. Suddenly in the midst of a neck-and-neck AL Central race, the Guardians cannot afford to be without Naylor for any significant period of time.

Luckily for Guardians fans, manager Stephen Vogt provided an optimistic update on Naylor's injury and gave a timeline for when he could return before Saturday's game against the Pirates.

“He's good. It's a bruise,” Vogt said. “He told me he wants to play tomorrow in true Naylz form. We have to see how he's feeling in the morning and go from there.”

“When he swung, going to get out of the box, you can see the ankle turn,” Vogt continued. “Fortunately, I think we avoided a sprain. He's going to be sore. He's going to be playing through soreness. You all know Naylz, the hockey player, he wants to play tomorrow.”

This is great news for Naylor, who has been one of the best hitters all season for a Guardians team that desperately needs to string together some wins. Even if he has to miss a game or two, it does not seem like Naylor will need to head to the injured list and will be back sooner rather than later.

Earlier in the season, it was considered all but certain that the Guardians would run away with the AL Central title. However, after a rough month of August, they are just 2½ games up on the Kansas City Royals and 3½ games up on the Minnesota Twins. With series still left against both the Royals and the Twins, the AL Central is officially up for grabs.

Josh Naylor's breakout 2024 season

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Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) hits a three-run home run during the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
© Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Naylor has been one of the biggest surprises in baseball this season. The Canadian All-Star currently has 28 home runs and 98 RBIs and has been a force in the middle of the Guardians' lineup. Before going down on Friday, Naylor had back-to-back three-hit games.

While the Guardians lineup is much improved from last season, outside of All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez, there is not much power outside of Naylor. The Guardians need Naylor 100% if they want to keep their slim lead in the AL Central and prove that they are legitimate World Series contenders.