Products You May Like
BALTIMORE — The Cleveland Guardians recalled slugger Jhonkensy Noel from Triple-A Columbus and placed him in the starting lineup for Wednesday night’s game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Noel, 22, was scheduled to make his major league debut, batting sixth and playing first base for the AL Central leaders.
He hit .295 with 15 doubles, 18 homers, 59 RBIs and a .578 slugging percentage in 65 games with Columbus this season. He leads the International League in RBIs, extra-base hits (35) and total bases (149).
“He’s got some power, obviously,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said before the game. “That’s a guy who loves to play. That smile, you’d think Christmas is here. We’re pumped to have him. He’s a good baseball player, and he’s been raking. He earned his way here.”
Noel played first base, left field, right field and designated hitter for Columbus this season. Vogt got a feel for how Noel played the field during spring training.
“He can play defense. He looked good at first; he looked good in the outfield when we had him,” the manager said.
Signed by Cleveland as an amateur free agent in July 2017, Noel, who is from the Dominican Republic, has 112 home runs in 517 minor league games.
To make room for the rookie on the roster, the Guardians optioned outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez to Columbus.