DILEMMA: Why the Cleveland Guardians Will Face INJURY Questions All Year, Fair or Unfair

The Cleveland Guardians’ offensive improvement hinge on health as , Chase DeLauter, Steven Kwan, and George Valera will all face injury questions in 2026, fair or not. Jose Ramirez's spring training scare highlights this concern. Justin Lada and Jeff Ellis break down how the Guardians’ internal options and prospects handling spring adversity like Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson and Dylan DeLucia, while highlighting Steven Kwan’s durability question and Hunter Gaddis' bullpen importance. The show discusses electric moments in the World Baseball Classic, standout performances—including Bo Naylor’s —and what the upcoming Spring Breakout game means for Cleveland’s future stars. Is the Guardians’ farm system ready to deliver reinforcements if the injury bug bites? Smart roster management and creative player usage could make or break their AL Central run.     00:00 Guardians, WBC, Health Concerns 04:20 Spring Training Concerns and Optimism 06:22 Managing DeLauter's Playing Time 12:48 Dodgers' Depth vs Guardians' Budget 13:52 Tugboat Shines Against Team USA 16:32 Low-Leverage Reliever Potential 25:04 Questioning Athlete’s Speed Claim 28:48 Intriguing Under-the-Radar Players 30:28 Pitching Rotation Developments   Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonguardians.supercast.com/   Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! PlayStation This episode of is brought to you by MLB The Show 26. Visit https://mlbthe.show/lockedon and use code “LOCKEDON” to unlock a pack for use in Diamond Dynasty. Pre-Order now, Available March 17th on PlayStation 5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. RATED E FOR EVERYONE.   Turbo Tax Intuit TurboTax now has in-person locations nationwide. You can meet face-to-face with a real tax expert, and your documents get uploaded straight to your TurboTax app on the spot.     Visit https://TurboTax.com/local to find a store near you and book your appointment today.   Robinhood You’re no longer just a spectator. Play by play. You decide. Trade Every Play with Robinhood. Now available across the U.S. Download the Robinhood app now to begin. Futures and cleared swaps trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Event contracts are offered by Robinhood Derivatives, LLC., a registered futures commission merchant and swap firm.   Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast   Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.   FanDuel FanDuel is giving you a way to turn that energy into even bigger potential wins with a College Basketball Parlay Profit Boost. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game.   FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)   Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…   🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-guardians/   Locked On MLB League-Wide: Every Team, Prospects & More 🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/leagues/mlb/   #Guardians #ClevelandGuardians #MLB Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.