CLEVELAND — Guardians All-Star left fielder Steven Kwan was activated from the 10-day injured list Wednesday, a nice boost for the AL Central champions with only four games left in the regular season.
Kwan had been sidelined with a back issue that may have contributed to his prolonged hitting slump in the second half.
With Kwan returning, Cleveland optioned outfielder Myles Straw to Triple-A Columbus before wrapping up a two-game series with Cincinnati.
Kwan, 27, led the majors with a .352 average at the All-Star break. But he was hitting just .201 in 50 games before being placed on the IL.
Kwan also was sidelined earlier in the season with hamstring issues.
Straw, 29, had been the team’s primary center fielder the past two-plus seasons before he was optioned to the minors at the end of spring training.
He was recalled last week and got off to a rough start by getting picked off first base as a pinch runner in his first appearance back.