The Cleveland Guardians added a right-handed hitter to the organization on a minor league deal with an invite to MLB spring training camp.
There’s no such thing as a bad minor league deal, and the Cleveland Guardians made one on Tuesday as the team announced it has signed INF Carter Kieboom to a minor league contract for the 2026 season, with a non-roster invitation to Major League Camp this February.
The 28-year-old was originally selected by the Washington Nationals in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft. In 2019, Kieboom was considered the organization's No. 2-ranked prospect before making his big-league debut later that season.
For a player who was once considered a top prospect and owns a minor league career OPS of .818, Kieboom has never truly panned out at the big league level. In 450 MLB plate appearances since 2019, the right-handed hitter owns a .200/.297/.300 slash line.
Kieboom spent the entire 2025 season in the Los Angeles Angels organization, where he registered a .817 OPS with 17 doubles and nine home runs at the Triple-A level.
He did reach the Majors toward the end of the regular season, appearing in three games in September. In the brief big league appearance, Kieboom recorded two hits in eight at-bats (.250 batting average).
Right now, Kieboom doesn’t have a clear path to the roster. Cleveland’s middle infield has many questions as is, and a player with Kieboom’s resume isn’t jumping prospects such as Travis Bazzana or Brayan Rocchio. Gabriel Arias probably has more to offer as a well-rounded player.
The big question is, what could the Guardians see, outside of depth, in a 28-year-old outfielder who hasn’t found success at the big-league level?
Outside of all of Kieboom’s shortcomings, he’s still managed to hit left-handed pitching fairly well. The right-handed hitter owns a career .233/.333/.347 slash line against southpaws at the big-league level.
Cleveland only has four current right-handed hitters on its 40-man roster: Austin Hedges, David Fry, Gabriel Arias, and Jonathan Rodriguez.
Maybe if Kieboom truly does continue to light up in the minors this season, Cleveland could view him as a potential option against left-handed pitching at the big league level, similar to Will Wilson’s role during the 2025 season.
At the very least, Cleveland has a veteran infielder it can call at some point throughout the year if it needs more depth.
Category: General Sports
