Manager Stephen Vogt of the Cleveland Guardians made a notable decision during a game against the Minnesota Twins on September 12, 2026, at Target Field in Minneapolis. The team had planned to use Daniel Espino and Franco Aleman to cover the first three innings before turning to Joey Cantillo. Aleman had bounced between Cleveland and Triple-A Columbus during the season and was optioned back to Columbus the next day. He was brought into the game to face the bottom of the Minnesota Twins’ lineup. Espino opened the game with two scoreless innings before Aleman took over in the third.
Aleman began the inning with a pop-out, which seemed promising, according to Yahoo Sports. However, he allowed a home run to rookie Emmanuel Rodriguez. Rodriguez was making his major league debut and the 420-foot homer came in his first career at-bat. Following that, Luke Keaschall hit an 80 mph line drive that fell in front of Angel Martinez.
The situation became more difficult when Aleman threw a wild pitch and then allowed a 68 mph bloop single to Brooks Lee. At that point, Vogt had to make a decision about whether to remove Aleman from the game. Despite the poor performance, Vogt left Aleman in to face more batters.
Kody Clemens hit an 83 mph line drive single that scored another run. The manager continued to trust Aleman even after two consecutive weak contact singles. Royce Lewis later singled to center to bring home Brooks Lee. Aleman then hit Kaelen Culpepper and Victor Caratini with pitches. Caratini was hit with the bases loaded to force in Minnesota’s fourth run. Joey Cantillo replaced Aleman and ended the inning by getting Austin Martin to line out.
Some observers questioned the reasoning behind Vogt’s choice. Aleman struck out Josh Bell after Clemens’ single, and a Covering the Corner analysis suggested that result may have influenced Vogt’s decision. His pitch count was still low and he did not give up any hit over 93 mph after the Rodriguez home run. Covering the Corner argued it was unwise to keep him in after the string of poor results.
The Guardians were fighting for a playoff spot, making each decision critical. By the end of the day, Cleveland was 75-74 and two games behind the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central.
Covering the Corner noted that Vogt generally makes good pitching choices in games. However, the analysis described this incident as a possible exception. The same analysis said Aleman had shown signs of struggling to maintain composure when innings turned against him.
The incident occurred during a crucial part of the season when the team needed strong leadership. After the game, Vogt said Aleman had trouble finishing hitters in two-strike counts and left some pitches over the middle. He also pointed to the two hit batters as part of Aleman’s problems during the inning.
The team’s overall performance and playoff hopes were at stake during this game. This event highlighted the importance of timely pitching changes in high-pressure situations. Aleman was charged with five hits and four earned runs in two-thirds of an inning, with one strikeout and no walks. Cantillo followed with four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out eight. The four runs charged to Aleman proved decisive in Cleveland’s 4-3 loss.
The Guardians optioned Aleman to Triple-A Columbus on September 13 and selected the contract of veteran reliever Connor Brogdon. Cleveland rebounded the next day with a 9-2 win over Minnesota to take the series.
On Monday, the Guardians lost 7-3 to the White Sox and fell 1.5 games behind Chicago in the division race.