It appears it is finally time for Travis Bazzana in Cleveland.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Cleveland Guardians are set to call up their top prospect and 2024 No. 1 overall pick, Bazzana. At AAA Columbus this season, Bazzana was batting .287 with two home runs and an .826 OPS in 24 games. Now, the 23-year-old Australian infielder will make his highly anticipated MLB Debut.
Bazzana’s debut comes two years after a standout year at Oregon State. As the 2024 Pac-12 Player of the Year, Bazzana’s .407 batting average and 28 home runs helped him become the first No. 1 overall pick in Guardians franchise history, the first Australian top pick, and the first 2nd baseman top pick; the position that Passan reports Bazzana is expected to “take over”.
Bazzana’s minor league career saw him steadily ascend the ranks from making stops in Single-A Lake County, Double-A Akron, and eventually Triple-A Columbus. However, Bazzana’s 2025 was a short one. Oblique injuries allowed him to appear in just 84 games between Akron and Columbus. However, he bounced back in 2026 with a strong showing at spring training and in the World Baseball Classic representing Team Australia. Now, he’ll put on a Cleveland Guardians uniform for real.
Earlier this month, Guardians President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti was asked about when the right time to call up the team’s top prospect may be.
"There's a lot of things that go into it,” Antonetti told media. “The things that we're looking at with Travis is no different than we would be thinking about it for any other player, which is one: what's the opportunity up here, both in the short, medium and long term. And then the individual's readiness to come up and help contribute at the Major League level.”
It appears that the opportunity is now there for Bazzana. The Guardians host the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, April 28, with a 6:10 p.m. first pitch.
