Last season in July, the Cleveland Guardians acquired Lane Thomas from the Washington Nationals in exchange for Alex Clemmey, Jose Tena, and Rafael Ramirez Jr. The club needed a boost in the outfield as they were a contender in the American League Central.
Thomas played in the remainder of the regular season before becoming a key figure in the ALDS. In Game 5, he smashed a grand slam off Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal to help Cleveland advance to the ALCS.
Thomas is now the club's biggest impending free agent after they released Carlos Santana last week, and his time with Cleveland could be up after this season. Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly predicts that Thomas will sign elsewhere during the offseason.
"While he did hit an ALDS grand slam off Tarik Skubal last year, he's largely been ineffective since being acquired from the Washington Nationals," said Kelly. "With a .189 batting average and multiple IL stints to show parts of two seasons in Cleveland, it's safe to say Thomas will be looking for a new employer next year."
Lane Thomas is looking to return to play before the regular season ends
Lane Thomas has been on the IL since July 5 while dealing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. However, the slugger is scheduled to play in his first game since heading to the IL two months ago.
Thomas is scheduled to play with the Double-A Akron Rubberducks on Tuesday night. He will likely need a few more games before he can return to the Cleveland lineup, so that will be something fans will want to keep their eye on.