Naylor was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Monday, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.
Naylor will head back to Columbus after he went 0-for-2 during Sunday's doubleheader with the Mets. The 23-year-old will certainly earn another shot in the big leagues later this season as he's batting .257 with nine homers, 32 RBI and 29 runs over 148 at-bats in 41 games with Columbus this year.
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Guardians' Bo Naylor: Promoted for twin bill
Rotowire
Naylor was recalled from Triple-A Columbus to serve as the Guardians' 27th man for Sunday's doubleheader against the Mets, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Naylor isn't in the starting nine for Sunday's matinee but could be in the lineup for Game 2. The 23-year-old has continued to crush Triple-A pitching this year with nine homers and an .898 OPS through 41 games. For now it appears the young backstop is just up for Sunday's twin bill, but he could receive an extended look in the majors before long with Mike Zunino and Cam Gallagher going a combined 3-for-50 at the plate in May.
Naylor was optioned to Triple-A Columbus by the Guardians on Friday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Naylor is likely the Guardians' catcher of the future, but they'd like him to get more reps in the minors. Mike Zunino will handle the bulk of the catching duties for Cleveland, with Bryan Lavastida, Cam Gallagher and Zack Collins battling for the backup spot.
Guardians' Bo Naylor: Unlikely to break camp in majors
Rotowire
The Guardians would prefer for Naylor to open the year at Triple-A Columbus, where he could play consistently and get more reps under his belt before getting promoted to the majors for good sometime this summer, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports. "He's 22 years old," manager Terry Francona said. "We told him it's not always on your timetable... but if you knock the door down, that sort of makes the timetable. But I think he's got a really good head situated really well. He's got a pretty good outlook."
While Naylor is Cleveland's catcher of the future and made his big-league debut already last season, the addition of Mike Zunino this offseason made it clear that Cleveland wasn't ready to hand Naylor the keys right out of the gate this year. As Bell notes, the expectation is for Naylor to get the call sometime this year to start sharing the catching duties with Zunino. Bryan Lavastida is the favorite to win the backup job to begin the season.
Naylor was called up by the Guardians on Saturday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
Naylor, whose brother Josh also plays for the Guardians, is one of the game's more interesting catching prospects. The 22-year-old doesn't have the greatest defensive reputation, though he's improved in that area this season. He's also hit .263/.392/.496 with 21 home runs and 20 steals in 118 games across the two highest levels of the minors. The Guardians have gotten a .495 OPS from Austin Hedges and a .604 OPS from Luke Maile this season, so Naylor seemingly doesn't have many obstacles to playing time, though the team could still prefer Hedges for his defense and game-calling, leaving Naylor to fight for at-bats as a designated hitter. He'll spend his first day with the big-league team watching from the bench.
