Guardians notes: Struggling Steven Kwan dropped from leadoff spot in batting order

CLEVELAND — It was a historic day for Steven Kwan at Progressive Field on Saturday, but not in a good way. The struggling outfielder was dropped from the leadoff spot to sixth, while Daniel Schneemann replaced him atop the order for the second game of the series against Cincinnati. It was the first time since 2022 that Kwan did not start a game batting first. "Obviously, Kwany hasn't got off to the start that I think he wanted or we wanted and (we're) just looking for ways to get him going," manager Stephen Vogt said. "He's been great with runners in scoring position (.294 batting average through Friday), so kind of trying to find that sweet spot in the middle of the order where, hopefully, Kwany gets up with some guys on base, find some feeling, find some rhythm, kind of take that leadoff approach and kind of put that on the backburner for a little while. "I definitely don't think this is a permanent change. I think we all know that when Steven Kwan's at his best and he's in the leadoff spot, that's when we're at our best and that's the goal. (It was a) tough conversation, not an easy decision, but just felt like it was the right time." Kwan sounded as though he supported the move. "I don't want to hurt the team in any way, and I did feel like with a lot of disappointing starts I was hurting the team," he said. "I think Vogter was just respecting me and wanting to keep things the same, but I think it's kind of been a couple weeks coming. I actually have no problem with it." An All-Star in 2024-25, Kwan began the season considered one of the American League's best leadoff men. But the traditionally fast starter entered Saturday batting only .201 with a .308 on-base percentage and .566 OPS over 42 games. The slow stretch actually began in the second half of last year, when he hit .254 (.214 in August) after the All-Star break, and .167 in the Wild Card Series against Detroit. "It's probably mechanical, still working through that," Kwan said of the explanation. "If I knew the answer, I probably wouldn't be in this spot." "I think there's probably a myriad of reasons," Vogt said. "Sometimes it's the pitch selection. For me, hitting is all about timing, pitch selection and then mechanics. If you're late, you can't think about pitch selection or mechanics. And if you're on time, swing at a bad pitch, you can't think about your mechanics. But if you're on time, swing at a good pitch and you miss it, now let's talk about mechanics. "And so I think there's been elements of timing. There've been elements of pitch selection and there's been elements of some mechanical things. Right now what it looks like for me with Kwany is to 'Get back to being who you are,' and that's (being) ready to hit the fastball early and being able to get the head (of the bat) on it." Vogt said he approached Kwan about moving down. "He's a pro. He just wants to win. And what I know about Kwany is whatever we say, he's going to do," Vogt said. "He's done everything we've ever asked of him. We've been having conversations over the last few weeks. It's not like all of a sudden I talked to him for the first time (Friday) night. But I do think there's maybe a little element of relief (for him), but also, 'Let's go. It's time to go.' And he knows that and we need Kwany to be at his best and we're here to support and help him get back to that." With Kwan out of the lineup Wednesday, Angel Martinez hit first in the series finale against the Angels. It was Schneeman's turn Saturday. "We're not going to have a set leadoff hitter. We're going to be moving guys in and out of that spot and seeing how we can beat the starter each night," Vogt said. "I think we have a number of guys who kind of fit the mold of a leadoff hitter." + Jose Ramirez has shown positive signs since Vogt moved him up from third to second in the order. He had three hits in Friday's 7-5 loss to the Reds. "Even just the look in his eye (Friday) looked different," Vogt said of Ramirez, who entered Saturday batting .220 in 46 games. "The last two games, I felt like he's hit the ball hard, taking his walks. He's been on base five of eight times the last two games. We never worry about Hosey, but I thought (Friday night) he looked the most like himself in a while." Pitch switch After the completion of Friday's game, the Guardians announced they were flip-flopping left-hander Joey Cantillo and right-hander Gavin Williams in the rotation. Cantillo, who was scheduled to pitch Sunday, started Saturday, while Williams was pushed back to the series finale against the Reds. "We've been looking for a while now to get someone in between (Wednesday's starter) Tanner (Bibee) and Gavin to kind of split them up," Vogt said. "We've been talking about that since early in the year and this last off day (Thursday) and kind of the way Joey pitched (last) Sunday, being efficient, we felt like it was the right time to make that switch." Doctor's office Reliever Shawn Armstrong (groin strain) made his second rehab appearance Friday since being placed on the injured list April 26. He tossed a scoreless inning for Double-A Akron and allowed a hit with one strikeout. "Army threw well (Friday) night, feels good," Vogt said of the right-hander, who hasn't pitched since April 21. "We always talk about the day after, see how he feels (Saturday) playing catch. We'll see what the next steps are." Armstrong will likely join the team for its four-game series in Detroit, which begins Monday. Contact Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him on X @CAwesomeheimer.