Guardians notes: Gabriel Arias to miss at least a month with hamstring strain

CLEVELAND — Shortstop Gabriel Arias will be sidelined for 4-8 weeks after an MRI and examination confirmed he sustained a moderate left hamstring strain. Arias sustained the injury Monday, following a double in the fifth inning of a 4-2 loss to Kansas City in the series opener. He was placed on the injured list Tuesday. Juan Brito, who had two hits in his MLB debut Tuesday, was promoted from Triple-A Columbus to fill the roster vacancy, but Brayan Rocchio is expected to play shortstop in Arias' absence. Arias is batting .200 with two home runs and four RBIs in 10 games. He hit a go-ahead solo shot in a 4-1 win over the Cubs in the home opener Friday. In other injury news, outfielder George Valera (left calf strain) had another big game for Columbus on Tuesday, going 4-for-5 with six RBIs. He was 8-for-18 with a homer and nine RBIs in four rehab games through Tuesday. "We know what George is capable of and it's great that he had a good game last night, but we need him to be built up, ready to play outfield every day. It's going to take some time," Vogt said. + Reliever Andrew Walters made his first rehab appearance, striking out two but allowing a two-run homer for the Clippers on Tuesday. The right-hander, who pitched in four postseason games for Cleveland two years ago, was limited to two appearances last year before a season-ending lat tear that required surgery. Hittin' Hedgie Known far more for his defense, veteran catcher Austin Hedges is off to a hot start at the plate, entering Wednesday 5-for-11 with two doubles and a 1.091 OPS in his first three games. "I've maintained Hedgie can hit," Vogt said of the career .185 hitter in nine-plus seasons prior to this year. "And when he stays within his approach, when he stays within his mindset, he's a very smart hitter. And he's getting some results right now and it's been really fun. And what he does behind the plate is invaluable. So when you have a chance to get him in there versus the lefties or maybe a righty here and there, we're going to do it." No one draws more cheers from the dugout than Hedges when he delivers a hit. "We all want to see Hedgie have success. He's our leader," Vogt said. "He cares about his teammates more than himself. And when you have someone like that and he gets a hit or he gets on base, it just fires everybody up. And every team has people like that. And when Hedgie's getting on base, good things are happening." But defense and handling a pitching staff is still where the veteran makes his money. He's played a major role in developing the Guardians' young rotation on and off the field. "He's prepared. He doesn't just throw stuff out there," Vogt said. "When he's speaking, it's either from something he studied or his experience or the things that he's learned. This guy, obviously now 10 years in the league, and he's seen a lot more than most of the guys in that clubhouse. "Our pitching staff is very young. We talk about our starters as if they've been in the league for eight, nine years. These guys are in their third season, maybe fourth for a couple of them. So having someone like Hedgie to lead them, there's just a lot of confidence and care that goes into those guys and they view it that way. It's his experience and his knowledge." Starting strong Cleveland's rotation has taken a stellar September 2025 performance into this season, where it ranked second in the majors with a 2.77 ERA through 12 games. Guardians starters entered Wednesday owning an MLB-leading 1.30 ERA over the last eight games. "You go on a historic run like they did as a group (in September), they're competing with each other every time out there," Vogt said. "They want to one up the guy that pitched before them and they want to set the bar high for the guy going tomorrow. "It's a really competitive group, those five. And I think what they accomplished together in September definitely ran into this year and they all have confidence. They made a historic run against some of the best teams in the league and they're confident." Next up The Guardians are off today, beginning a three-game interleague series against the Braves at Truist Park in Atlanta on Friday night at 7:15. RHP Slade Cecconi (0-1, 5.23 ERA) opens the set for Cleveland, opposing RHP Bryce Elder (1-1, 0.00), while LHP Parker Messick (1-0, 0.82) goes Saturday (7:15 p.m.) against LHP Martin Perez (0-0, 3.86). RHP Tanner Bibee (0-1, 3.29) starts for the Guardians in the series finale Sunday (7:20 p.m.), while the Braves counter with LHP Chris Sale (2-1, 3.94). Roundin' third The Guardians' bullpen hadn't allowed an inherited runner to score in their first 12 games through Tuesday. ... Cleveland entered Wednesday having scored four or more runs in six of their seven wins. Since Vogt's first year in 2024, the Guardians were an AL-best 148-33 (.818) when scoring four or more times. Contact Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @CAwesomeheimer.