Guardians DFA Former All-Star

 The Cleveland Guardians have once again called up their catcher of the future, Bo Naylor, giving their No. 3 overall prospect another shot at sticking in the big leagues. This means, however, that it's the end of the line in Cleveland for a former All-Star catcher as they've designated Mike Zunino for assignment.

The Guardians have designated catcher Mike Zunino for assignment pic.twitter.com/xzR0t5QIva

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 16, 2023

Zunino was signed to a one-year, $6M deal in the offseason, but in 42 games, he slashed just .177/.271/.306  with a meager 63 OPS+ with three home runs and 11 runs batted in. 

The 2021 All-Star has fallen a long ways since his 33 HR campaign with the Tampa Bay Rays, managing an OPS+ of just 54 over the last two years (46% worse than league average). 

Naylor, on the other hand, joins his brother Josh on the big club, after a tremendous run in Triple-A so far this year, author of an .891 OPS with 13 home runs and nearly as many walks as strikeouts. 

The younger Naylor was a first-round pick by Cleveland in the 2018 MLB Draft.

Photo: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports