Jo Adell

Adell came through with a two-run single off of Grant Taylor during a six-run uprising in the sixth inning, pushing the Guardians’ lead to 9-4. The 27-year-old slugger is now 4-for-15 (.267) with six RBI in his first four postseason contests for the Guardians.

Adell put Cleveland in front by rocketing a bases-clearing double into the right-field corner against White Sox rookie sensation Hagen Smith with two outs in the third inning. It was the big knock that helped turn the tide for the Guardians in a must-win affair on the road in Chicago to keep their postseason hopes alive.

Adell drove in two with a third-inning single off Anthony Kay that put Cleveland up 2-0. He’s been an integral part of the Guardians’ lineup since being acquired from the Angels at this summer’s trade deadline, hitting second, third or fourth in every game since August 21. His 92 RBI are tied for the 11th-highest total among all hitters.

Adell’s home run was his 22nd of the season. He hit a two-run shot off Chris Murphy in the first inning. Adell has two home runs in his last three games. He’s hitting .239 with a .698 OPS and 90 RBI.

Adell’s homer off Joe Ryan was absolutely crushed, leaving his bat at 116.8 mph and traveling a projected 451 feet. It’s the second hardest he’s ever hit a ball, trailing a 117.2-mph homer off Drew Smyly in 2023, and it’s the third hardest-hit home run of the year, coming in behind only a pair of blasts from Oneil Cruz.

Adell scored two of Cleveland’s three runs. He’s hitting .298/.365/.456 with two homers and one stolen base over his last 15 games with the Guardians since coming over at the August 3 trade deadline.

That makes 21 RBI in 23 games for Adell since the Guardians acquired him at this summer’s trade deadline. He has consistently hit in the heart of the order, which has lengthened the team’s lineup alongside José Ramírez’s return from injury. Fellow newcomer Nathaniel Lowe also drove in three in Sunday’s offensive eruption against Seth Lugo. Adell will be arbitration-eligible for the final time in 2027, so it’ll be interesting to see how the Guardians handle his contract this offseason.

Adell drove in five runs over the last two days, and that brings his RBI total up to 79 on the season. He would need 21 more over the next 31 games to reach 100, but that’s not out of the question, especially since he’s stinging the baseball as of late.

Saying Adell got all of his homer off Gabriel Hughes is an understatement. It traveled an estimated 450 feet to center, and it had an exit velocity of 113.8 mph. That gives him 20 home runs on the season, and it might surprise you that he’s been able to drive in 77 runs despite not exactly playing for the best offenses in baseball. Adell is a very flawed player, but a flawed player who can knock the stuffing out of a baseball here and there.

Adell fouled a ball off of his knee on Tuesday and sat out the final two games of the team’s series against the Giants due to soreness. He’s feeling much improved on Friday though and will serve as the Guardians’ designated hitter at Coors Field against Rockies’ right-hander Tanner Gordon.

That’s two straight days on the shelf for Adell after fouling a ball off his left knee. He’s considered day-to-day.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt told reporters Adell wasn’t available off the bench after being held out of Wednesday’s lineup. The 27-year-old slugging corner outfielder fouled a ball off his left knee in the early stages of Tuesday’s game where he went on to homer and drive in six runs afterwards. There should be some much-needed clarity on his status leading into Thursday’s series finale.

Adell’s homer came in the first, a couple of pitches after he fouled a pitch off his left knee and looked like he might need to leave the game. He did eventually depart in the eighth with the Guardians up seven, but one imagines he’ll be good to go Wednesday. Adell is just 10-for-46 since joining the Guardians, but with three homers and four doubles, he’s collected 11 RBI in 13 games. The homer tonight was his 19th overall.

The homer was a 428-footer off Kyle Finnegan. Adell has started six of seven games since joining the Guardians and gone 4-for-24 with a rather surprising five walks. He walked just 16 times in 456 plate appearances for the Angels.

Considering the Guardians now have Patrick Bailey on the big league roster, another defensive-first catcher isn’t really a priority, so moving Cozart for Adell seems like good business. The 27-year-old has taken a step back this year, hitting .239/.287/.395 with 16 home runs and 62 RBI in 111 games, but he gives the Guardians some thump in the middle of their order. Adell is also under team control for one more season.

Catcher Jacob Cozart is one player going the other way. Given the way the Angels are stocking up on Angels, maybe Martínez is also involved. The Guardians have paid for ignoring their outfield in recent years, and Adell’s right-handed power will add balance to their lineup. He figures to take over in right field, with Chase DeLauter spending more time at DH. Martinez figures to lose at-bats, unless he’s in the deal.

Adell highlighted a five-run first inning for the Angels with a two-run blast off Matthew Liberatore, a 110 mph laser at 405 feet. He then added a base hit to lead off the fourth. That’s back-to-back days with a home run for Adell and his 15th of the season while hitting .243/.289/.402 with 44 runs scored and 57 RBI across 419 plate appearances.

The game should have ended two batters earlier, as Vaughn Grissom crushed a ball off the wall in right against Riley O’Brien with the tying run on second and the winning run on first. Though it bounced at least 40 feet away from Jordan Walker afterwards, pinch-runner Jose Siri was unable to score from first. O’Brien then intentionally walked Josh Lowe to set up the double play, only to throw four straight balls to Adell. The last plunked him on the elbow, though it would have ended the game either way. The struggling Adell, who was hitless in his previous six games, had already had a great night by that point. His 103.6-mph homer was actually his third hardest-hit ball of the game. He has 14 homers in 100 games this year.

Adell is 0-for-19 with one walk during the two-series stretch. He hit the ball hard twice today, but both were pounded right into the ground. Adell is still showing elite bat speed, and his 22.4 percent strikeout rate is the lowest mark of his career. One would think he’d be doing better than this, and he might be a candidate for a change-of-scenery trade before the deadline.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine night off for the 27-year-old slugger. Josh Lowe will slide over to cover right field while Wade Meckler starts in left and will bat seventh against Rangers’ veteran right-hander Nathan Eovaldi.