Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report: 6/12/25

Juan Brito returns; Noel, Kayfus, Rosario all power up

Scoreboard

Triple-A: Columbus Clippers 7, Buffalo Bisons 1
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 4, Akron RubberDucks 2
High-A: Lake County Captains 7, Dayton Dragons 6
Single-A: Lynchburg Hillcats 13, Carolina Mudcats 1
ACL: Guardians 7, Mariners 5
DSL: Dodgers Bautista 11, Guardians Mendoza 4 (F/7)
DSL: Orioles Orange 6, Guardians Goryl 3 (F/7)

Rehab

Juan Brito (2B, ACL): 0-2, BB - Brito logged three plate appearances in his first game back from thumb surgery as he makes his way back. He’s certainly back sooner than expected, at least in terms of rehab.

Michael Kennedy (SP, ACL): 1.1IP, H, 2R, 1ER, 4BB, 2K - Kennedy had a leg injury and is just now getting back on the mound, which is good because he’s someone who really needed a season of development with Cleveland after coming over from Pittsburgh in the off-season.

Carlos Gutierrez (starting LF, ACL): 1-3, 1 R, 1 K - The Hillcats outfielder rounded out the trio of returns to the field on Thursday night in Goodyear.

Highlights

Jhonkensy Noel (RF, Columbus): 2-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI - Much like Will Wilson going back to Triple-A this week, Noel immediately had a two homer game. Not really all that shocking. To the credit of Big Christmas, his first at bat was a nine pitch at bat, far more than he was often having in the majors. However, his next at bat was a four pitch strikeout, chasing a slider out of the zone. He did later homer off former Cleveland reliever Nick Sandlin on the first pitch of the at bat. We’ll see if he can have more patience going forward because that’s the only tangible change that is going to help him at this point.

Parker Messick (SP, Columbus): 6IP, 3H, 4BB, 6K - Messick was his usual 92-94 with his fastball and was effective with his changeup. Despite the four walks, he did have a decent amount of called strikes. Cleveland did let him push to 96 pitches in six innings, which is a good sign for him, though you’d like to see better efficiency.

Alex Mooney (SS, Akron): 2-4, 2 2B - It’s been a rough year so far for Mooney so two doubles in a game is nice to see after a strong year in Lake County last year.

Trenton Denholm (SP, Akron): 6IP, 6H, 6K - The right hander tossed 77 pitches in six innings with seven strikeouts. Some very impressive efficiency. Denholm probably needs to be in Triple-A at this point but there may not be any room for him yet.

Alfonsin Rosario (CF, Lake County): 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI - After a slow start to June for Rosario, but he homered on June 11 and then doubled here in the next game, jumping right back into his power.

Tommy Hawke (CF, Lynchburg): 2-3, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SB - Hawke now has 56 steals this year and an inflated on base percentage because he continues to walk and keeps running. He needs a chance at High-A at this point.

Welbyn Francisca (SS, Lynchburg): 2-4, 4 RBI, 2 SB, BB -Welbyn continues to come out of his early season funk, having a hot June. Most impressive for his approach is the continued walks and getting on base.

Robert Arias (DH, ACL): 3-5, SB - Arias continues to hit in the ACL, albeit with limited power.

Josh Perez (SP, DSL Goryl): ND, 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R (earned), 3 BB, 1 BK, 2 K - Perez, who reached the five-inning threshold in his second pro game (Don’t ask about pitch counts. We don’t get them for the DSL.), is off to a stellar start, having allowed only one earned run while striking out eight in 8.1 combined frames.

Notable Performances

Petey Halpin (CF, Columbus): 1-5, HR, RBI - Halpin crushed his sixth homer of the year. It’s both interesting and possibly good that he now has four homers on the road and just one at home, where Huntington Park is a hitters haven.

CJ Kayfus (1B-LF, Columbus): 1-3, HR, RBI, BB, 2K - Kayfus joined Noel in punishing Sandlin, crushing a poorly located, poor velocity (90) fastball for a homer on the first pitch of the at bat.

Chase DeLauter (DH, Columbus): 1-4, 2B, BB, K - The hardest hit ball tonight for DeLauter was 107, which resulted in a fielding error. His double was only 80 off the bat, and his third was a 95 MPH lineout. He chased a high fastball in his at bat where he struck out. His first at bat was a walk on four noncompetitive pitches.

Wuilfredo Antunez (DH, Lake County): 2-4, 2B, SB, RBI - I still dig some of Antunez’s power and skills but still want to see more consistency.

Ryan Cesarini (RF, Lynchburg): 3-5, 2B, SB - I still expected Cesarini to be better in Low-A at 22 and it’s been a slow start. He’s had some good moments this year, but it’s been an underwhelming performance overall.

Bennett Thompson (C, Lynchburg): 2-4, 2B, SB - Speaking of players who need another challenge, Thompson probably doesn’t have a huge prospect ceiling but is clearly too good for Low-A, but it’s lack of opportunities and that he probably would be a little exposed at High-A. It’s a fine balance.

Jacob Zibin (SP, Lynchburg): 2IP, BB - Zibin only threw 21 pitches in two inning and didn’t miss any bats, but it’s an efficient outing that he’s still trying to find some consistency as he works his way back after a long time off due to multiple arm surgeries.

Juneiker Caceres (RF, ACL): 1-4, HR, 2 RBI - Caceres is showing everything in the ACL circuit this year and while it’s important to not get too excited about a complex league performance, but he is 17 and doing some impressive things. A late trip to Lynchburg this year would be encouraging.

Nomar Velasquez (3B, DSL Mendoza): 1-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB - Velasquez’s two-run double in the top of the third gave Mendoza a short-lived lead in a game that would soon swing heavily in the Dodgers Bautista’s favor.

Ricardo Romero (2B, DSL Goryl): 1-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI - Romero provided a similar offensive high point for Goryl with an RBI double in the bottom of the first.