The Cleveland Guardians suddenly find themselves in serious postseason contention following a lackluster beginning to the 2025 season. However, Cleveland is losing an outfielder to the injured list, as Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports that Nolan Jones is being placed on the injured list with an oblique strain. In a corresponding move, the Guardians are promoting outfield prospect Petey Halpin, per Meisel.
Jones, 27, began his career with Cleveland in 2022 before ending up in Colorado with the Rockies. After two seasons in Denver, though, the Rockies traded Jones back to the Guardians ahead of the 2025 campaign.
It's been a difficult season for the outfielder, however. He's slashed just .211/.296/.304 across 136 games played. Jones has also hit only five home runs and 14 doubles.
The severity of Jones' injury has yet to be revealed. Although he has struggled, the Guardians will miss Jones amid their push for a playoff spot.
Meanwhile, Halpin is set to make his MLB debut. The 23-year-old hit .249/.321/.414 in 126 games at Triple-A Columbus in 2025. At the very least, Halpin will give Cleveland important outfield depth over the final weeks of the '25 campaign.
The Guardians currently sit only 2.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central division. Cleveland is also just a game and a half back of an AL Wild Card spot. The ball club endured a mediocre start to the season, but they are playing a quality brand of baseball at the moment.
The season is winding down so Cleveland needs to continue to play at a consistent level over the next couple of weeks. Cleveland will play the Minnesota Twins in a double-header on Saturday following Friday's 6-2 victory.
