Gabriel Arias

This seemed like a foregone conclusion after Juan Brito was sent to the minor leagues, but we now have confirmation. The Guardians are high on Arias, and the 25-year-old did hit three home runs and slug .469 in 51 plate appearances this spring. He's probably only an option in AL-only leagues at this point. The full Guardians lineup is: LF Steven Kwan, 3B Jose Ramirez, CF Lane Thomas, Carlos Santana, DH Kyle Manzardo, Jhonkensy Noel, Bo Naylor, Gabriel Arias, Brayan Rocchio.

Arias started at second base and batted leadoff for the Guardians in this one. With Juan Brito optioned to Triple-A Columbus and Tyler Freeman traded to the Rockies, it seems as though Arias and Daniel Schneemann are likely to open the season in a platoon at second base, with Arias seeing strong-side at-bats there. He has hit .261 (12-for-46) with three homers, five RBI and a stolen base so far in Cactus League play.

Both Arias and Tyler Freeman (triple, double, walk) had excellent days after the Guardians narrowed their infield competition by shipping out Juan Brito and Angel Martinez. Arias's spot has long been assumed, since he's out of options. It's just a matter of whether he'll get to start at second base or be more of a utilityman. Freeman has outproduced him this spring, posting a 1.080 OPS, and also seems like a great bet for the roster now. Arias has hit .256/.273/.412 in 44 plate appearances.

The Guardians scratched out a run against Mason Adams in the second inning as Jhonkensy Noel smacked a one-out single into center, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Arias' two-out line drive single into left. The versatile 25-year-old is one of many candidates vying to win the Guardians' starting gig at second base this spring. He's off to a very slow start though, hitting just .238 (5-for-21) with a homer and two RBI.