CLEVELAND — While it was a relatively quiet trade deadline for the Cleveland Guardians, it appears that reinforcements are nonetheless on the way.
Ahead of Wednesday's 1:10 p.m. ET matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Progressive Field, the Guardians announced that they have promoted infielder Tyler Freeman to their big league roster. The 23-year-old Freeman will make his Major League debut playing third base as Jose Ramirez serves as Cleveland's designated hitter and batting seventh on Wednesday.
The Guardians selected Freeman out of Etiwanda High School in Etiwanda, California, in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft. In the years since, the right-handed hitting infielder has consistently ranked as one of the top prospects in Cleveland's farm system.
After ranking as the then-Indians' No. 2 prospect during the 2020 season, Freeman was named the organization's top prospect in MLB.com's midseason update in 2021. Entering 2022, he ranked sixth in the Guardians' organization, which is now considered one of the strongest farm systems in all of baseball, as well as the No. 84 prospect in all of baseball.
Appearing in 72 games for Triple-A Columbus this season, the 6-foot, 190-pound Freeman has hit for a .280 average (.735 OPS) to go along with three home runs and 24 RBI while making appearances at second base, shortstop, third base and designated hitter. In making his Major League debut, he joins infielder Gabriel Arias, outfielder/third baseman Nolan Jones and outfielder Will Benson among the list of highly touted Guardians prospects to do so this season.