Steven Kwan is back for the Cleveland Guardians.
Ahead of their series tonight against the New York Yankees, the Guardians have activated Kwan from the bereavement list and are optioning Petey Halpin to Triple-A Columbus.
Kwan last played for the Guardians on May 27 before being placed on the bereavement list to attend to a personal family matter. The details of Kwan's absence and the nature of the matter were not revealed.
The 28-year-old has spent his entire five-year career in Cleveland, and is slashing just .207/.329/.259 with one home run, 12 RBI, and an OPS of .588 in 54 games this year.
Kwan is also coming off one of his lesser seasons offensively in 2025, with only a .704 OPS in 156 games. While he still slugged 11 home runs and drove in a career-high 56 runs, Kwan's most productive seasons came in 2022 and 2024, the latter of which saw him hit a career-high 14 homers and record a personal-best .793 OPS.
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
As for Halpin, he's appeared in 18 games for the Guardians this season, going 5-for-30 (.167) at the plate with an RBI and three runs scored.
Despite Kwan's absence, the Guardians have been able to maintain first place in a rather weak American League Central. Entering Tuesday, Cleveland holds a 1.5-game lead over the surprising Chicago White Sox with a 34-27 record, even after losing four out of their last six games.
The Guardians now begin a three-game series against the aforementioned Yankees tonight in the Bronx with Kwan back in the lineup, batting seventh.
