Guardians' Steven Kwan: Drives in five in Friday's win
Rotowire
Kwan went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double and five RBI in Friday's 9-4 win over the Mariners.
The Guardians' leadoff hitter was at his pesky best, seeing 38 total pitches across his six plate appearances and putting his team in the lead for good in the fourth inning with a two-run double that he slashed just inside the foul line past third base. He also chipped in a sacrifice fly and a two-run single. Kwan's .298 batting average last season was buoyed by a .323 BABIP, but given his contact-heavy approach, those numbers seem eminently repeatable in 2023.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Solid start to spring
Rotowire
Kwan has gone 3-for-12 with two runs scored and two strikeouts across four Cactus League games.
There's little reason to worry about Kwan's performance at the plate in the spring. He posted a 62:60 BB:K last year while slashing .298/.373/.400 and stealing 19 bases across 147 games. He could regress a slight amount from his .323 BABIP as a rookie last year, but his sharp eye at the plate and contact hitting should keep him in the leadoff role barring a significant slump.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Receives Sunday off
Rotowire
Kwan is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
Kwan started the past 12 games and will take a seat after he posted a 1.088 OPS with two home runs, 12 RBI and 13 runs scored during that span. Will Brennan will shift to left field while Oscar Gonzalez starts in right.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Reaches base four times
Rotowire
Kwan went 3-for-5 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's 6-5 extra-innings loss to the Rays.
Kwan supplied an RBI single in the fourth inning and scored on hits by Jose Ramirez in the third and 11th frames. This was the seventh multi-hit effort in 10 games for Kwan, who is batting a stellar .458 (22-for-48) in that span. The rookie outfielder is up to a .301/.376/.402 slash line with six home runs, 50 RBI, 86 runs scored and 19 stolen bases through 140 contests.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Fills box score Sunday
Rotowire
Kwan went 3-for-5 with a home run, five RBI, two runs scored and two steals in Sunday's 10-4 win over the Rangers.
Kwan's big day Sunday was capped by a grand slam in the top of the eighth inning to put Cleveland up 10-2 and all but seal the game. His five RBI and two stolen bases were both career highs. Additionally, with six total bases on the day, his slugging percentage improved to .400 on the season, the highest it's been since May 14.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Stays hot with homer
Rotowire
Kwan went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, two runs scored and a steal in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the White Sox.
Kwan singled and scored in the opening frame and led off the fourth inning with a solo shot off righty Lance Lynn to give Cleveland a 6-0 advantage. The outfielder has been on an impressive run over his last five games, going 14-for-26 with a .769 slugging percentage. The 24-year-old rookie has also recorded five steals in his last 12 games.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Stays hot at plate
Rotowire
Kwan went 4-for-6 with two RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in Tuesday's 10-7 extra-innings win over the White Sox.
Kwan is seeing the ball really well of late, as he's gone 11-for-21 (.524) across his last four games. He's up to eight multi-hit efforts in September, raising his season slash line to .295/.373/.386 through 134 contests. The rookie outfielder has added four home runs, 42 RBI, 78 runs scored and 16 stolen bases in 21 attempts this year.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Not in Sunday's lineup
Rotowire
Kwan is not in Sunday's lineup against the Twins.
Kwan amassed five hits and a walk while playing in both games of Saturday's doubleheader, so he will get a breather in this day game. Richie Palacios is starting in left field and hitting sixth.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Steals 15th base
Rotowire
Kwan went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in a 3-1 win Tuesday over the Angels.
Kwan singled in the fifth and walked and stole a base in the seventh. It was his 15th stolen base in 20 attempts this season and third in the last four games. He's reached base safely in 11 of 12 games in September and has posted a .271/.375/.333 slash line with one homer this month.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Homers and steals base Sunday
Rotowire
Kwan went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, two runs scored and a stolen base in Sunday's win over Minnesota.
Kwan led the charge for the Guardians on Sunday with three hits, including his fourth homer on the season. The rookie also swiped his 14th bag after leading off the game with a base hit. Kwan's big day at the plate was timely as he was slashing .194/.326/.194 in September entering Sunday and as he and the Guardians look to secure the AL Central crown down the stretch.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Walks four times, scores twice
Rotowire
Kwan went 0-for-1 with four walks, a stolen base and two runs scored in Saturday's 6-4 win over the Twins.
Kwan embodied patience Saturday, drawing walks against three different pitchers. He scored in the first and fourth innings, and he added a steal for the first time since Aug. 14. The rookie outfielder is now walking at a 10.4 percent clip compared to a 9.5 percent strikeout rate. He's added a steady .287/.366/.374 slash line with 13 steals, three home runs, 37 RBI and 69 runs scored through 124 contests.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Tallies RBI during winning rally
Rotowire
Kwan went 2-for-5 with a double, a RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-4 victory over Detroit.
Kwan tallied an RBI double off lefty reliever Andrew Chafin in the eighth to draw Cleveland within a run and cam around to score on a double from Jose Ramirez. Although Kwan's double came off a lefty, the outfielder has more power against righties with a .414 slugging percentage in 309 at-bats compared to a .321 slugging percentage in 81 at-bats against southpaws. The 24-year-old has hit well lately with an .873 OPS in 54 at-bats during his last 14 games.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Reaches base four times
Rotowire
Kwan went 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Tigers.
Kwan was also caught stealing once, putting him at 12-for-16 in stolen base attempts this season. The contact-hitting rookie has elevated his play in August, slashing .339/.439/.464 through 15 contests this month. For the season, he's batting .301 -- the highest average he's had since May 9 -- with a .768 OPS, three home runs, 30 RBI and 60 runs scored as the Guardians' everyday leadoff hitter.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Sleeper hitters for Week 20 (Aug. 15-21)
Rotowire
Kwan brings almost nothing to the table power-wise, but he is hitting .341 (47 for 138) with six steals over his past 33 games. The lack of strikeouts makes him a points-league darling, but he's hot enough with favorable enough matchups for any format this week.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Records steal Saturday
Rotowire
Kwan went 0-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays.
Kwan was held without a hit for just the second time since the All-Star break. In those 22 games, he's slashed .348/.412/.489 with six of his 11 stolen bases and two of his three home runs this season.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Triples in win
Rotowire
Kwan went 2-for-4 with a triple and run scored in Wednesday's win against the Tigers.
Kwan ripped a leadoff triple to open the game in the top of the first inning, later coming around to score on a Jose Ramirez single. The rookie also added a single in the second frame, and the multi-hit effort was his second in three games and eighth over 19 games since the All-Star break. Kwan has now rapped out at least one hit in 21 out of his last 22 games, batting .355 with nine extra-base hits, 19 runs, five RBI and four stolen bases over that stretch.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Rejoins starting nine
Rotowire
Kwan (foot) will start in left field and bat leadoff in Sunday's game against the Astros.
Kwan was withheld from Saturday's 4-1 win after fouling a ball off his foot a night earlier, but his return to the lineup a day later implies that his one-game absence was likely precautionary. Since the beginning of July, the rookie has settled back into a groove at the plate, producing a .312 average and .354 on-base percentage while scoring 19 runs and adding four steals over a stretch of 33 games.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Out of lineup Saturday
Rotowire
Kwan (foot) is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Astros.
Kwan fouled a pitch off his left foot and exited Friday's game, and while the Guardians said his removal was precautionary, it would seem there is some lingering soreness. Andres Gimenez will move up to the leadoff spot against right-hander Luis Garcia as Will Benson takes over for Kwan in left field.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Hitting streak ends with early exit
Rotowire
Kwan left Friday's game against the Astros with a left foot contusion, Joe Noga of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
He fouled a pitch off his foot and was removed as a precaution. The timing of this injury is unfortunate, as it ends Kwan's 18-game hitting streak. He went 0-for-2 before exiting. Kwan hit .350 with one home run, six doubles and four steals during that hitting streak.
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Guardians' Steven Kwan: Steals base, scores twice
Rotowire
Kwan went 3-for-5 with a stolen base and two runs scored in Friday's 4-1 win over the Rays.
Kwan continues to be locked in at the plate -- he's posted three hits in four of the 12 games during his current hitting streak. In that span, he's batting .382 (21-for-55). The outfielder's found a home atop the Guardians' lineup, and he's maintained a .298/.369/.382 slash line with two home runs, eight stolen bases, 28 RBI and 48 runs scored in 87 contests overall. Kwan's also maintained impressive contact skills with a tiny 8.3 percent strikeout rate in his first big-league campaign.
