“It hasn’t been the start to the season that he would have liked or that we would have liked,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “We know how good of a player that he is, so we told Jhonkensy to just go play, go relax and go back to being you.”
Nicknamed “Big Christmas,” the 6-foot-3, 250-pounder belted a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the ninth inning of what became a 7-5 victory over the New York Yankees in 10 innings last Oct. 17.
Cleveland lost the ALCS in five games, but Noel’s shot to left field was one of the more memorable moments at Progressive Field since the ballpark opened in 1994.
“We still hold true to the belief that Jhonkensy — the best version of him — helps us win games,” Vogt said. “He plays an unbelievable right field, he’s a good baserunner and he has the power to hit it out of the yard. It just hasn’t been there yet this year.”
Johnathan Rodriguez was recalled from Columbus and started in right field in the Guardians’ three-game series finale against the Houston Astros.
Cleveland also announced that outfielder Will Brennan and right-hander Andrew Walters will both undergo surgery Monday.
Brennan has been sidelined with left elbow inflammation since May 22, while Walters experienced a right lat strain May 30 while pitching against Angels star Mike Trout.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Credit: AP
Credit: AP