The Guardians announced today that infielder Angel Martínez has been activated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Columbus. Cleveland had an open 40-man spot but that roster is once again at capacity after this move.
Martínez, 22, began the season on the injured list due to a right foot contusion but later transferred him to the 60-day IL, with his injury listed as a left hamate fracture. He still hasn’t made his major league debut but this stint on the IL did allow him to pick up roughly two months of MLB service time.
He was initially added to Cleveland’s 40-man roster in November of 2022, to keep him out of that year’s Rule 5 draft. He was coming off a season in which he hit .278/.378/.471 in the minors for a 135 wRC+. His offense dipped a bit last year, as he hit .251/.321/.394 between Double-A and Triple-A for a 92 wRC+.
The Guards have had an open 40-man spot since designating Ramón Laureano for assignment last week, which is why no corresponding move was required today. Martínez will try to earn his major league debut by getting regular action in Columbus. He can be kept on optional assignment for the rest of this year and one more season as well.