CLEVELAND — Cleveland Guardians outfielder Oscar Gonzalez has been optioned to Triple-A Columbus to get more playing time.
The team made the move with Gonzalez on Saturday before facing the Minnesota Twins. Infielder Tyler Freeman was recalled to take Gonzalez’s roster spot.
Gonzalez, 25, has struggled at the plate, batting just .192 with one homer and five RBIs in 25 games. He’s been platooning in right field with Will Brennan, and the Guardians are hoping to get him more at-bats.
Gonzalez isn’t the only Cleveland hitter not hitting. The Guardians’ offense has been sluggish for much of the early season, one of the big reasons the defending AL Central champions are trailing the first-place Twins by 4½ games.
The Guardians are batting just .224 overall and have only 17 homers, the fewest in the majors.
Gonzalez was one of the many bright spots last season for the Guardians.
As a rookie, he batted .296 with 11 homers and 43 RBIs in 91 games. He was also a postseason hero, connecting for a walk-off homer in the 15th inning to beat Tampa Bay in the wild-card round and hitting a two-run single in the ninth inning to beat New York in the division series.